Dragon-Verse: Future Stories
by milady dragon
Summary: AU- These are future stories in the Dragon-Verse, following Jack and Ianto as they retire from Torchwood and move on with their lives in the far future...and beyond.
1. The Call of Home

**__**The Call of Home

Author: Milady Dragon

Disclaimer: I don't own much of anything, let alone Torchwood

Author's note: Hello, everyone! As I said in the last chapter of Year of the Toclafane, I was going to post the trio of future stories I've written for the Dragon-Verse, because of certain things that happen in the Second Series that will come back to these. This is first of these, and was actually the second Dragon-Verse story ever written. It was done for one of the Long Live Ianto challenges on LJ.

Hope you enjoy!

* * *

**_29 November 3245 (Earth Standard Year)_**

Twelve centuries ago, Earth astronomers had called the planet Gliese 581g.

It orbited a red dwarf star (called Gliese 581, naturally) in the old-Earth constellation Libra, and was twenty light-years from Earth. Back when it was discovered, the scientists who'd found it never would have thought that, one day, it would be a bustling outpost within a vast Earth Federation, where humans and aliens mingled and no one thought twice about it.

Nor would they have thought about what name human colonists would call it.

Hubworld.

Jack Harkness looked out onto the city that sprawled below him, from his office within the tower called Torchwood Central. The city – named Gliese in honor of those long-ago astronomers who'd used mathematics to discover this planetary system – bustled below him, and a smile curled his lips slightly. All of this, because of Torchwood. It was so hard for him to believe sometimes, that all this had happened because he'd followed the advice of a Tarot-reading girl over twelve hundred years before.

The new Torchwood.

Certainly, there had been times when he'd doubted everything he was doing, that he wasn't the man for the job. Hell, he sometimes thought that even now, after everything that he'd accomplished.

No, not 'he'. We.

He couldn't have done it without Ianto Jones…the last dragon, and now his mate.

The smile slipped from his lips as he contemplated his mate. Ianto had been acting oddly lately; he'd almost seemed distracted. Not even taking time in the immense Torchwood Archives – which had been nicknamed by most Torchwood employees as the Hoard – had been able to help the dragon regain his equilibrium. Ianto had claimed to be fine, but a man doesn't live and work with someone for over a millennium without picking up on clues as to something being wrong.

Jack decided he would keep an eye on him. Objectively he knew Ianto was for all intents and purposes immortal, but there were still things that could kill him. Jack knew all of them, Ianto having shared with him centuries ago, but there were still things like alien pathogens or technologies that they had no idea about. If Ianto got sick…no, they didn't bear thinking of.

But he'd watch anyway, and if anything else happened he'd get the dragon to Medical and have Dr. Asadhi check him out.

Dinner that night was a quiet affair. Not that that was unusual; Jack liked a silence as much as Ianto did, but there was something about this silence that was almost disturbing.

There had been times in the past when Ianto had withdrawn. It had usually happened when there were problems between them, and Jack had long ago learned to recognize the danger signs. But this…this was different. Ianto was there, and yet he wasn't. Jack couldn't put his finger on it.

"You've been way too quiet," he finally said, as he watched his mate push his food around on his plate.

Ianto's eyes suddenly focused, and they met Jack's. "I'm sorry," he answered. "I'm just away with the fairies tonight."

Jack didn't cringe at the comment; he and Ianto agreed to disagree about the Fae. "You've been like this for days now."

"Have I?" He seemed genuinely surprised by that.

"You have. What's going on in that brain of yours, Mr. Jones?"

"It's not…" Ianto sighed. "I'm fine."

"And you're lying."

The dragon's eyes went wide in shock. "Jack, I can't tell you what I don't know!"

He really _didn't_ know, Jack could see it. "Then why don't you describe how you're feeling? Maybe we can figure it out."

"It's not…" Ianto looked upset, but Jack suspected it was more at himself than at Jack. "It's not my thoughts, or my brain. It's…my heart. It's …pulling at me, like it wants me to do something. I can't describe it any better than that."

Well, that was as clear as mud… "You don't think you're ill, do you?"

Ianto shook his head. "No, I don't think that's it. You know, how you feel when you think you've forgotten something, or left something behind?"

Jack nodded.

"Well, that's close to it. I feel as if I've left something…or that I'm missing something, only this something is a part of me, and I'm being pulled toward it, only I don't know what 'it' is." He sighed in frustration. "That's it. I'm trying to work it out, but nothing comes to mind."

"Okay." He'd have to accept it for now, especially since he knew Ianto wasn't hiding anything from him. "Just let me know if anything changes?"

Ianto smiled slightly. "Yes, Jack. I will."

* * *

**_5 December 3245 (Earth Standard Year)_**

"I need to go home."

Jack looked up from his work, his jaw dropping in surprise at Ianto's announcement. "What?"

"I said, I need to go home."

The immortal looked at his mate closely. Ianto's face was even paler than normal, and his usually sharp blue eyes were dull. He stood in front of Jack's desk, and it was evident that he was trembling.

Jack got up immediately at the signs of his mate's distress, lowering Ianto into the nearest chair. He grabbed another chair, pulling it up so he could sit close to the dragon. "What's wrong?"

"I realized it, when I was down in the Archives…it's calling me. Home. It's calling to me and I have to answer." His words were jerky, and he looked up at Jack pleadingly. "I know we're stretched thin right now – "

"Why do you think you need to go home?" Jack realized he meant going to Earth, and he couldn't figure out why. Neither of them had been back there in almost six hundred years, and until that very moment Ianto hadn't shown any inclination in wanting to going back. Jack actually considered Hubworld more a home than Earth.

"It's…" Ianto shook his head, as if trying to shake loose the words he needed to explain. "I think I'm homesick."

Jack had to bite back a retort at that. "Is that all?"

"Jack, I…" his voice faded out, and his eyes went to his hands in his lap; their fingers were twisting together in sheer helplessness. "I'm being completely melodramatic about this."

"I won't argue with that." Jack sighed. This didn't make any sense. "Look, maybe after the beginning of the new year, you and I can take a trip back. But right now, you know as well as I do just what's going on. There's the crisis on Drexel 4; the negotiations between the Breen and the Sorax; and about half a dozen other political wildfires burning out there. You're right; we're really stretched thin at this time of the year…"

"The annual Christmas Invasion," Ianto managed to joke.

"Pretty much." Jack remembered the heady days on Earth, when London would have an invasion every Christmas. That particular holiday might only be celebrated on Earth, but there were plenty other coinciding festivals and rituals at this time of the galactic year that it made Torchwood extremely busy.

"You're right, of course." Ianto straightened. "I'm being melodramatic. We'll plan a trip later." He stood up. "I have work to do, as I know you do. I'll leave you to it."

Jack stood as well. He leaned forward, brushing a barely there kiss across Ianto's lips. "I'll see you at home tonight?"

The dragon nodded, then left Jack to become the Director of the Torchwood Institute once more.

* * *

**_7 December 3245 (Earth Standard Year)_**

Ianto was late.

Jack paced the lounge of their home in Gliese City, wondering where his mate was. Ianto was never late without calling to let Jack know, and this silence was worrying. He hadn't even answered his comms when Jack had tried to call him, but then if he was in the lowermost Archives then the signal might have been blocked somehow. There were places underground where comms signals would not reach, and Ianto could very well have been working in one of them.

After their talk about Ianto's homesickness, the dragon seemed to have been fine. He'd even regained his color and his appetite, as well as that quiet bustling that heralded him at his best. Ianto had been working with one of the negotiating teams on the Breen/Sorax issue, and had been doing research in the Archives about previous disagreements between the two races, hoping to find something in older treaties that would help with this new one.

Jack stopped his pacing, plopping himself down on the couch and turning on the video news. He'd think about dinner later; what he'd made was now ruined. Ianto must have just been caught up in his research…yes that must have been it, for him not to have shown up for their scheduled dinner. And even if he couldn't get a comms signal through, he might have thought his research was more important and hadn't wanted to stop. Jack couldn't lie and say it didn't irritate him, but it was the only explanation that made the most sense.

However, when Ianto still hadn't called two hours later, Jack was officially worried.

He took the transmat back to Torchwood Central, meaning to look for his mate and to drag him back home if necessary. The tower block was still busy; Torchwood was all hours, all days, and so would be staffed no matter the time. Now though, with so much going on, it was rotating shifts and everyone on call. He would have normally been greeted as he moved past, but the various employees must have seen something in his face, and they avoided him.

By the time Jack had reached the lift for the Archives, he was well and truly angry. And scared, truth be known. If Ianto had lost himself in whatever he was doing, then Jack was going to rip him a new one. But other scenarios were starting to play in his head; there was a lot of dangerous tech down there, and although Ianto was possibly the most careful being he knew, mistakes could be made. He stabbed the lift button harder than was necessary, and wished that there was a transmat cubicle down there instead of him having to take the lift. But Ianto had refused to have one installed, concerned about possible reactions to the various different technologies in the Archives. Jack knew very well that there were times when disparate devices could react to one another, and that leant Jack's imagination yet another reason to be worried for the dragon…

The Archives were deserted at this hour. Jack knew that there were junior archivists on call, but there was no need to keep anyone on overnight unless it was an emergency. Most of the items in the Archive were on the mainframe, and that made finding things in the immense space that much easier.

Hubworld's Archives had been constructed within several natural caverns deep within the planet, safe from attack from above. Ianto had overseen the shaping of the levels himself; Jack recalled making the comment that a dragon would know the best way to get as much use out of a cave as possible. Ianto had raised an eyebrow at him, and then gotten on with the work. The Archives had been long nicknamed the Hoard, in honor of Ianto, and it was very appropriate. It was always a treat when a new employee saw Ianto transform for the first time…

Jack tried his comms again, hoping to get a signal now that he was below the levels of interference. There was nothing, and fear was beginning to seriously edge out anger. He went to the nearest computer, pulling up the map of the Archives, overlaying it with the infrared sensors that were on all levels.

A blob of heat was down on level three, in subsection twelve. Judging from the amount of heat it was putting out, it was most certainly Ianto.

Jack accessed the internal security system, bringing up the cameras in that area. And what he saw made his blood run cold.

He sent an alert up to Medical, even as he was racing down the Archive.

Toward the motionless body of his mate.

* * *

**_8 December 3245 (Earth Standard Year)_**

Jack hovered as Ianto's blue eyes fluttered open, and the dragon took a confused look around. "Jack?" he whispered. "Where am I?"

The relief the immortal felt was so intense it made his heart lurch. "You're in Medical. I found you collapsed in the Archives last night."

Ianto's brows drew down. "I remember…I was looking for a paper copy of the Breen/Sorax Treaty of 2940…then I got dizzy. I…can't recall anything after that."

"That's not surprising," the deep voice of Dr. Asadhi, Torchwood's Chief Medical Officer, said from the doorway. The large Traxian came into the room, his prehensile tail holding a medical PDA as he began examining Ianto with long-fingered hands. His nictitating membranes made a clicking noise when he blinked.

"What's wrong with me?" Ianto asked, trying to sit up, dislodging one of the medical sensors on his chest as he did so and causing the machine to beep obnoxiously.

Dr. Asadhi pushed him back down even as Jack was trying to do the same. "You need to stay put, Second Jones," he ordered. "You've had an unexplained hormonal and electrolyte imbalance that has knocked your entire system out of kilter."

"What caused it?' Jack demanded, before Ianto could.

"Well, I did say it was unexplained," the Traxian answered.

"Life threatening?"

"That I cannot say, Director Harkness. It could be, if we do not find the cause."

Jack didn't want to hear that. He didn't want to hear that Ianto could die, that something could happen to take his dragon away from him. He reached out and took Ianto's hand; public displays weren't often their thing, but Jack needed that contact to ground him.

Twelve hundred years wasn't long enough…

"Has anything happened lately, Second Jones? Any odd symptoms? Anything you cannot explain?"

Ianto chewed his lip in thought. "Well…I have been feeling…I don't know…off, lately."

Jack's mind went back to their conversation over dinner over a week earlier, and the one in his office a couple of days ago. He'd discounted the second one as some strange melodrama…but then, Ianto wasn't one to be overly dramatic. Had there been something wrong then, and Jack had dismissed it? Guilt flooded him, and he squeezed his mate's hand.

"Can you describe this feeling?" the doctor asked, holding his PDA in order to make notes.

"It's like something is pulling me, and that something was missing within me. And then, the other day I felt…homesick. I suddenly couldn't stop thinking about home, and with such longing…I can't really describe it better than that." He looked bothered by his lack of coherence.

"No, that is fine." Dr. Asadhi smiled, revealing blunt teeth. "I think I might know what the problem is, and if I'm correct it's a fairly simple fix."

Relief brought a small smile to Jack's lips. "What is it?"

"There are some races that will often have a biological imperative to return to their homeworlds at certain times in their life cycles," the Traxian explained. "If they don't, this imperative can wreak havoc on the body, causing all sorts of imbalances that can lead to catastrophic consequences. I'm fairly certain that's what's happening in your case, Second Jones."

"That makes sense," Ianto mused. "But why now? I haven't been back to Earth in nearly six hundred years. Why not any sooner?"

Dr. Asadhi shook his head. "I cannot tell you, because I don't know. We know practically nothing of your race, Second Jones. You are the only one of your kind, and absolutely the only one to have ever left Earth. This imperative could have been in your people for generations, but because none of them have ever left your planet of birth it wouldn't show up. Oh, perhaps as homesickness, where the urge to return to the place of their birth is strong enough to force them to go home, but I doubt it would be as serious as your problem is now. Being so far from your planet is causing all sorts of issues with your health."

"So, if I return to Earth…"

"Then the imbalance should fix itself and after a while you'll be able to come back here."

"Should?" Jack asked, suddenly worried again.

The Traxian sighed. "There are no guarantees, Director Harkness. But this is the best treatment for Second Jones."

"How long would I have to stay on Earth?" Ianto asked.

"A week…perhaps two to be safe."

"Then we need to get you on the first transport going to Earth," Jack decided. He wasn't about to let Ianto stay one day longer than necessary.

"I shall prepare some supplements that you, Second Jones, will need to take until you set foot back on home soil," the doctor said, making a note on his PDA. "The sooner you leave, the sooner you'll get better."

"But the treaty – " Ianto argued.

"Your life is more important, Ianto," Jack answered. "Let the negotiating team worry about that. When we get back, I'm sure everything will be in the same mess we left it."

* * *

**_8 December 3245 (Earth Standard Year)_**

They didn't even get out of the house before all hell broke loose.

"Harkness," Jack answered his comms, setting his carryall into the trunk of their taxi.

_"I'm sorry Director,"_ the voice of his Third, Maxim Hodge, came through the earpiece, _"but there's an emergency on Anaria Prime. We're receiving reports of an attack on the planet by illegal mass driver. The Shadow Proclamation is requesting our assistance in discovering the culprit."_

Jack cursed. "Who have we got in the area, Max?"

_"The _Sato _is five hours out. But Director...the Shadow Architect in charge is demanding your presence on site. I tried to explain that you have a personal emergency…"_

Jack cursed again. Any time they had to have dealings with the Shadow Proclamation, they always demanded that Jack take over personally, since they felt that only a former Companion could do the job properly.

He was about to tell Max to tell the Proclamation to shove their demands where the sun didn't shine, but Ianto was already speaking over his own comms. "Tell the Architect that Director Harkness is on his way."

"Ianto!" Jack exclaimed, even as Max was acknowledging the command.

"You have to go," the dragon said calmly. "The Shadow Proclamation will get all bitchy if you don't, and you know we need to keep on their good side, in the spirit of inter-agency cooperation."

"I'm not letting you go alone," Jack argued, even though he knew Ianto was correct.

"I'll be fine. Dr. Asadhi has kindly stocked me up on supplements, and he doesn't think I'll have another attack. You go and take care of things, and I'll be back as soon as I can." He leaned forward, brushing his lips against Jack's.

"I don't like this." That was an understatement. Torchwood took enough of their time; to be honest, Jack couldn't remember the last time he and Ianto had taken a vacation. Centuries, maybe? And now, Ianto was sick, and he wouldn't even be able to go with him, to make sure he got to Earth safely.

"I know you don't, but be reasonable. They need you on Anaria Prime. Go and be your usual, heroic self. And I'll be back before you even realize I'm gone."

"When you get back, you and I are taking a proper vacation," he swore.

"I look forward to it." Ianto gave him that smirk that had Jack wanting to take him then and there. "Now go. I'll be fine."

Jack didn't like it. But he had no choice.

* * *

**_10 December 3245 (Earth Standard Year)_**

The mess on Anaria Prime kept Jack occupied for only a day, then he found himself back on Hubworld, and in a temper.

The Shadow Proclamation hadn't even needed him. The _Sato _had come across the ship with the illegal mass driver just out of system, hiding behind one of the gas giants. Apparently the large weapon had fried the transport's engines, and it had been no trouble at all to take the criminals into custody. Once that was done, it had been up to the Judoon to transport the ships' crew – a band of arms dealers who'd wanted to demonstrate their newest 'toy' for one of their customers – and to conduct them to the Proclamation's base for judgment. Jack had arranged the relief efforts, and then found himself on the first ship back.

He stormed into his office at Torchwood Central, dropping his carryall onto the floor and making his way around his desk, where he dropped into his chair with a grunt. He needed to write up the report for the Shadow Proclamation, and they wouldn't wait for it, either. He rubbed the bridge of his nose, leaning his head back and closing his eyes tiredly.

Such a wasted trip!

"Director Harkness."

He stifled his sigh as he opened his eyes. "Yes, Max?"

Maxim Hodge was a tall man, taller even that Jack, and very thin. He was half human, half Trenan – a low gravity race – with dark hair and the palest eyes Jack had ever seen. He was extremely good at his job, although he would never rise about Third; Jack was Director in Perpetuity, and Ianto was his Second, and that wouldn't change. "Sorry to bother you, but there are several issues that need your attention."

"Why can't you take care of them?" Jack asked hectically.

"Because you're the Director. I'm simply your Third."

'There's nothing simple about you, Max."

He inclined his head at the compliment. "But that still doesn't give me access to Director-level issues."

Jack sighed. "Fine."

Max handed over the files he'd brought with him on data stick, and then left Jack alone to work. The immortal jabbed the stick into the port on his computer a little harder than was strictly necessary, but didn't care.

He was beginning to wonder when duty became more important than his personal life. Then he snorted, realizing that that was several centuries ago. And Ianto put up with it, which made his mate more saint than dragon, in Jack's opinion. To be honest, he wasn't sure when he'd do if he ever got time off now. He'd probably be bored within a standard week.

This time Jack did sigh, as he pulled up the work Max had given him. _Oh lovely, the Dax were at it again…_

He was so engrossed in his work that he didn't hear anyone come into the office, until the door slammed. Jack jumped up, reaching for the weapon at his waist…

Then calmed down, when he saw who it was. "Anwyn! You're going to give me a heart attack some day!"

Anwyn Harkness-Jones strode to the desk, and she looked thunderous. "And when were you going to tell me Tad was sick?" she demanded.

Jack looked at his and Ianto's daughter. When he'd found out that he was pregnant, it had been a shock to both men; Jack had thought that he and Ianto would have been genetically incompatible, being from different species. She'd been conceived barely a year after the two had moved from Earth for the final time, once Jack had been removed from the oestrogen overdose he'd been receiving in the planet's water supply.

Anwyn had inherited her Dad's hair and classic looks, and her Tad's eyes and intelligence…and his long life. She would be celebrating her six hundredth birthday in a little over a year, and she barely looked twenty.

"He's going to be fine," Jack tried to placate his fiery daughter. She'd inherited his temper, as well. "He just needed to return to Earth. It was some sort of biological imperative…but wait, how did you find out about that?" Anwyn had been off Hubworld, on Torchwood business, when Ianto had gotten ill. Jack had meant to tell her when she returned.

"I went to the house, thinking to put my things away, and ran into the housekeeper. She was quite torn up about Tad being so sick, that he had to go offworld for treatment…"

Jack pinched the bridge of his nose, sitting back down in his chair. "It's not that serious at all. God, I love it when people take these things out of proportion…" He didn't want their daughter to worry unduly, and felt justified in understating the issue.

Anwyn seemed to calm down a little, taking the chair opposite his. "But, why aren't you with him?"

"We had an emergency just as we were leaving. I had to stay behind. But don't worry…he'll be on Earth in twelve days. Dr. Asadhi says he'll have to stay there for about two weeks, and then he'll be home again."

"But Dad…if Tad is sick, should he be alone?"

"The doctor gave him medication to take."

"If it's something biological…will it happen again?" Her blue eyes were frightened.

Jack hadn't thought about that. "It looks like it's on a six hundred year cycle. Besides, we'll be ready for it next time."

"You should really be with him."

She wasn't saying anything that he hadn't thought of himself, but duty had to take precedence at times, and Ianto had been the one to tell him to go anyway. "Honey, I'd love to join him, but this is the busiest time of the galactic year for Torchwood. You know that."

Anwyn's jaw dropped. "I always knew you bled Torchwood, but is it really more important than Tad?"

Jack opened his mouth to rebut his daughter's accusation, but he realized she was right. He should never have stayed behind. He should have told the Shadow Proclamation to go to whatever hell they believed in, and accompanied Ianto back to Earth.

There would always be this fear, that someday someone would find out his mate's weaknesses and exploit them. There had been close calls, and Jack knew there were still things out there in the Universe that they hadn't even run into, that could take Ianto away from him. This illness could have been deadly, and he could have lost the dragon.

That question was making Jack consider a lot of things. He and Ianto had said they would go on vacation after he got back, but would they have? They were both control freaks enough to want to be on hand for any crisis, and taking time off was something they just didn't do.

Maybe it was time.

Jack stood up, and walked to where his daughter was sitting. He leaned over and kissed her on the forehead. "You are a genius."

Anwyn gave him a very Ianto-like smirk. "Of course I am. I'm my Tad's girl."

He laughed.

* * *

**_24 December 3245 (Earth Standard Year)_**

The uproar his leaving caused had been so very worth it.

Torchwood had never had to do without himself and Ianto at the same time, so while he'd been prepared to go with Ianto before the Shadow Proclamation had demanded his presence, it had still been a shock for the leadership team to know their Director would be following his Second to Earth, and on such short notice. Anwyn had stood by and had looked amused by the whole thing…until Jack made her Max's Second. Of course, Max had been speechless when Jack had handed over all of his Director codes, and told him to use them wisely. Before, he'd only ever given Max limited access, and had required him to contact Jack directly for anything Director-level.

He couldn't wait to tell Ianto about it.

He'd hopped the first transport leaving Hubworld. The trip gave him time to think, and it made him realize a few things that he should have done before. Anwyn had been correct in her confusion: Torchwood had become more important to him, as well as duty, and it had been that way for as long as he could recall. Ianto was the same, and the dragon's own sense of his own duty was just as strong as Jack's, which was why he'd insisted Jack stay on Hubworld and work while he went on to Earth alone.

They were both idiots.

Two standard weeks after leaving Hubworld, Jack's ship was in orbit of an Earth he hadn't seen in six hundred years.

Much had changed even before they'd left. The catastrophic ice melt of 2050 had warped the coasts of every continent. Some countries had suffered badly; others had coped by either moving their coastal cities or by making the cities that couldn't be moved into their own islands. London had done the latter, becoming a man-made island within the shallow inland sea that had once been the Thames. Cardiff had done the former, moving back until it was practically against the Brecon Beacons. The original Hub that had been Torchwood Three was now under about seventy-five feet of water; the only thing left of the old base was the Rift Manipulator, now kept in a watertight chamber that was accessible only by transmat and was monitored by Torchwood Central in London. Cardiff might have moved, but the Rift hadn't.

He and Ianto had gotten everything out before the Hub had finally flooded, although they'd come to the mutual decision to leave the morgue where it was. Only certain bodies had been disinterred; Gray was one of those, since he wasn't truly dead. It had seemed appropriate that the dead of Torchwood Three should stay with Torchwood Three.

The rest of the planet had moved on, becoming a busy spaceport hub within the Federation. The cities had grown to accommodate the inrush of tourists and people coming to work in the busy ports, until much of Earth was metropolis. There were a few pockets of untouched land left, and one of those would be Jack's destination.

_"This is your attendant speaking. All passengers disembarking at the Heathrow Transit Hub please go to the transmat station on Level Two. Repeating…"_

Jack heeded the announcement. Picking up his carryall, he made his way toward the transmat station. London was the closest he'd be getting to his final destination, and he could hire an aircar for the rest of the journey. The passenger ship he'd met at Proxima would land at the larger spaceport at New Canaveral in United America, and Jack didn't want to go that far.

He joined his fellow passengers at the transmat. There were about two dozen leaving the ship above London, and Jack waited his turn somewhat impatiently. Now that he was there, he wanted to get the Earth under his boots once again. He hadn't realized that he'd actually missed this planet; but then he really had lived on Earth longer than he had on Hubworld, even though he'd considered Hubworld home.

It was eventually his turn, and he stepped up onto the transmat with four others also leaving the ship. The distinctive tingle of transport ran up his spine, and the ship he'd been traveling on for the last two weeks vanished around him, to be replaced by the sight of a garish poster advertising a local music group.

He moved off the pad quickly, and once he was out of the way Jack took his first deep breath of Earth air in centuries. Even though it had been processed through the Terminal's air recycling system, it was very recognizable despite time and distance.

Jack found the vehicle rental easily. A two-seater aircar was waiting for him, having been reserved by a forward-thinking Anwyn when she'd made his reservations on the transport. As he pulled out of the car park, it truly hit him that he was back on Earth, the only home he'd known for centuries before Torchwood had taken to the stars.

The winter chill penetrated the vehicle's cockpit, and Jack put the heater on. He turned the nose of the aircar north, knowing where Ianto would go.

Home.

It was late afternoon before Jack reached Ddraig Llyn.

It had changed almost beyond recognition.

He parked the aircar on a stretch of land that had once been the village green. Jack got out of the vehicle, taking a look around, sadness tugging at him as he realized that everything Ianto had once known, was gone.

The immortal moved down the main street, his memory filling in where nature had taken away. He came to what had once been Ianto's inn, the Green Dragon; the outer wall still stood, but it was covered in a mass of vines, and trees poked up through what had once been the roof. Mistletoe had found root hold between the stones, and Jack absently plucked a twig of it from its tenacious hold on the wall. He'd met the dragon there, and they'd managed to grab a few stolen moments at the inn before Torchwood had consumed them. Ashamedly, Jack realized he'd never once looked back, when it had become impossible to come to Ddraig Llyn anymore.

And yet, he'd known that Ianto had purchased all of the property around the valley itself. It had taken much of the gold in his hoard, but the dragon had never regretted it. Jack felt guilty; he'd taken Ianto from here, from everything that he'd known, and had exposed him to Torchwood. And when the time came to leave Earth, he'd just assumed that Ianto would follow…and he had.

But now, Ianto had discovered that he was tied to this place in ways that Jack really couldn't understand. If he wanted his mate safe, then he would have to take more of Ianto's needs into consideration.

He really wished he'd been there with Ianto, to discover the wreckage of his home.

Jack sighed. Ianto wasn't in the village. There would only be one place the dragon would have gone.

He heard the singing before he saw his mate.

It was the song that Jack had heard that day, so very long ago. Ianto had explained that it was a song of mourning, one that his people reserved for things special to them; for family, and loved ones, and those who had made a difference in the dragon's life. At that time, Ianto had been singing it for his lost people. Ianto had also sung it the very first time Jack had died, before the dragon had known about his immortality. There had been other times since, but now Jack knew he was singing it for the entire world, and how much it had changed while they'd been gone.

Even the valley was different. The rivers bringing the snow melt down from the higher mountains had done their job too well, and now the once-small lake flooded a large part of the valley. Ddraig Llyn had not been touched by the waters, but of course other things had destroyed it.

Jack clambered up next to his mate. Ianto had transformed back into his dragon-form, the green scales glittering like precious gemstones in the setting sun. He hadn't thought about it before, but the red sun of Hubworld had made those scales glow luridly, almost unnaturally. Here though, Ianto was beautiful in ways Jack had not noticed in a very long time.

The dragon was sitting on the same outcrop that Jack had met him on all those centuries before; at least that hadn't been changed. Jack had never accompanied Ianto on his infrequent flights up into Hubworld's mountains, and had only seen him in dragon form within the setting of Gliese City or Torchwood Central. He'd almost forgotten how the dragon looked in his natural surroundings, and it struck him once again that he'd removed Ianto from what he'd been used to, even more so when they'd left Earth. Ianto had chosen to go with him…but had he really? Or had he simply followed Jack because of the emotional bonds between them?

The dragon stopped singing. Jack knew Ianto had sensed his Vortex energy as he'd come up the old trail. He'd always been able to do that, as well as sense the Rift back in old Cardiff. The immortal believed it was because the dragon was so much part of the natural world that he was keyed into such things…which raised even more questions about just how wrong Jack had been to let Ianto accompany him. The immortal had always had issues with selfishness…but now, he could make up for that.

"It's all gone," Jack said, absently twirling the twig of mistletoe in his fingers. "Nature just…took it back."

"Nature has a tendency to do that," the dragon answered, his voice calm.

Jack was shocked. "I thought you'd be more upset about your home being abandoned like that!"

The dragon sighed. "I was. But I've had two days to get used to it." He turned sad blue eyes toward his mate. "However, that doesn't mean I'm not sad about losing my last human dwelling on this world. "

He made his way to the dragon's side. "Did you find what you were looking for?" He couldn't tell if he was feeling better; he'd only seen Ianto ill while in human form.

"It appears I really am tied to the Earth. The moment I set foot back on her soil, I felt…energized. It was like a piece had been slotted back into my soul, a part of me I wasn't even aware I was missing until I returned."

He leaned against Ianto's warm flank. The wind was bitter, and he wondered if it was going to snow. "I'm sorry," he said. "I should have been here with you. You were sick, and I should have been here."

"There's no need to be, Jack. I'm fine now."

"Doesn't matter. I should have told the Shadow Proclamation to piss off and go bother someone else."

Ianto chuckled, a deep rumbling that vibrated against Jack's side. "I think I might have liked to have seen that." Then he sobered. "Your sense of duty will always come first. As will mine."

Jack still played with the mistletoe, framing his answer carefully. "Well, it shouldn't. We should both know by now that there are times when our own happiness needs to come first. I think we've lost sight of that."

"We've always put Torchwood first, Jack. It's who we are, and we cannot change that."

"I just don't think we've tried hard enough. There's been no reason to."

Those slitted blue eyes regarded him. "Since when have you become so wise?" he asked teasingly.

"Blame your daughter. She kicked me in the ass."

"Anwyn's only my daughter when she irritates you."

"Or when she shows her Tad's brilliance." Jack trailed his hand along the warm scales of Ianto's flank, and the dragon shivered. The immortal knew it didn't have anything to do with the cold. "I was thinking – "

"Always dangerous."

The caress turned into a light smack. "As I was saying…I had a thought. I know you own most of this valley…"

"Yes, I do. And I'm glad. Humanity has managed to take over almost every other bit of livable land on the planet…and to ruin most of it." The scorn in his voice was withering.

"You know, when you rant like that it's pretty damned sexy?"

The dragon took a playful swipe at Jack with his tail. "And you call me cheeky?"

"You are!"

He chuckled. "So…what were you thinking?"

Jack took a breath. "Only that, since you're tied here, maybe we should build some sort of vacation home in the valley…bring some people back to Ddraig Llyn. People who would appreciate the beauty of this place. And I don't necessarily mean human, either. Plus, Anwyn's never seen this place. I think she'd love it here."

The dragon looked like he was considering it. "What about Torchwood? We'd be quite a distance from Hubworld."

Jack had thought about that, too. "Maybe it's time for us to take a step back. We've been at this a very long time…"

"Who are you, and what have you done with Jack Harkness?"

"Stop it!" Jack cautioned good-naturedly. "We'd be close enough to London Central that, if anything happens, we could get there fast enough."

The dragon looked at Jack appraisingly. "You're really serious about this."

"Yes, I am. To be honest…I don't want anything to happen to you. If you get sick again – "

"It's been six hundred years. I'm sure I can spend that length of time off work again."

"No, there's no need to risk that. We can build a nice home, maybe take more vacation time…I think I'm ready for it. You and I have been on almost non-stop duty for over twelve hundred years. It's time we started to take it easy." Jack took a deep breath. "Maybe even think about family." They'd decided after Anwyn not to have any more, simply because Torchwood took up too much of their time. Both of them had felt they'd somehow failed their daughter by pawning her off on nannies and tutors.

The dragon was silent for a long time. Jack knew Ianto, knew what work meant to him. They'd both built up Torchwood into what it was today; saying what he was, was hard for him. But he also knew when it was time to slow down. Besides, Torchwood wasn't going anywhere. And, even though he hadn't said anything to Ianto as yet, there would come a time when Jack would have to lie low for at least a couple of centuries, when his timelines would cross. Having a bolt hole there at Ddraig Llyn would be a smart idea.

"If you're sure – " There was a longing in Ianto's voice, and it made Jack's heart ache. He should have done this years ago.

"I am. This place has always been a bit special to me…especially since this was where I met you."

He snorted. "That's about the sappiest thing I've heard you say in quite a while."

Jack held up the mistletoe. "Why don't we go somewhere we can put this to good use?"

"I'm hoping you mean the traditional use, and not the medicinal one. I'm not certain either of us would enjoy the consequences of that!"

Jack laughed. "You're right. No, I was thinking the traditional use. Especially since it's officially Christmas Eve now. Although, I did accidentally leave your gift on Hubworld."

"That's fine…I'd arranged for yours to be given to you tomorrow, but since you're here…"

"We'll have to arrange to have some of our things sent here, for the time being. It's going to take several weeks to get things going." Jack was actually getting excited about this plan of his now. He'd had no idea that he was this ready for a semi-retirement. He made a mental note to thank Anwyn for pointing out to him just how wrapped up in Torchwood he'd been.

The dragon agreed. "Then perhaps you and I should get out of the cold and go somewhere more…comfortable?"

"Have you been staying in your old cave?"

"I have. But there isn't anything in it, so it's very…sparse. I'll need to collect my things, though."

"Then what say we find somewhere to stay in the nearest town? We can get your luggage and then go fetch my rental."

"I like the way you think, Captain. Care to climb up?"

Jack scrambled up onto the dragon's back, his legs hooking under the large wings, and his arms looped around the sinewy neck. He was laughing like a little kid. Ianto had taken him flying before, and it was marvelous.

He could feel the dragon's muscles bunching under his legs, and then they were off. Jack felt the bottom drop out of his stomach, and had expected to be freezing, but Ianto's heat was keeping him just warm enough.

They arched out over the valley, the wind buoying their flight. Jack laughed again as they glided almost effortlessly, and the dragon roared his own laugh that echoed out over the valley.

As they banked slowly back toward the mountain, Jack realized that he was home. But home didn't have anything to do with planets or Torchwood or the valley below.

Wherever Ianto was, that was home. And he heard the call of home as they flew together over the land that had nurtured them both.


	2. The Green and the Blue - Chapter One

**__**The Green and the Blue - Chapter One

Author: Milady Dragon

Disclaimer: I don't own anything really.

Author's note: This is the first chapter of The Green and the Blue, and follows after The Call of Home. This story was written for the MPreg Big Bang Round One, so please be warned.

Hope you enjoy!

* * *

**_31 January 3246 (Earth Standard Year)_**

Jack Harkness heard the shuttle's engines before he saw the craft emerge from behind the mountains.

He raised his hand against the glare of the sky, grinning widely. The immortal watched as the pilot maneuvered the shuttle in an arc over the lake, and he didn't need to reach for his comm. to know that it was his daughter, Anwyn, finally arriving from Hubworld.

A flash of green out of the corner of his eye heralded the arrival of his mate. The dragon made for the shuttle, pirouetting gracefully around the craft as the ship made a waggling motion with its stubby wings. Jack laughed as Ianto did the same, banking away and letting the ship come in to land.

Jack headed toward the landing area they'd set up, on what used to be the village green of Ddraig Llyn. Anwyn brought the shuttle in gently, landing between the pile of natural stone they'd been using for constructing the house and the antigrav crane they'd rented for the construction. Jack was impressed; their daughter was a hell of a pilot, but then she'd learnt from the best.

He got to the shuttle just as the rear door was opening. Not giving Anwyn time to react, he threw his arms around her and whirled her around in a circle. "There's my girl!" he greeted her, bussing her loudly on the cheek.

"Dad!" she cried, hugging him back as hard as he was hugging her. Jack loved his daughter fiercely, and had missed her in the little over a month he and Ianto had been on Earth. Certainly, there'd been longer times between visits, but there was something about this time that brought it home to him that he'd been her father for six hundred years, and in that time he'd often put Torchwood first.

Well, no more.

The words she'd spoken back on Hubworld would remain with him. She'd been right; both Jack and Ianto had lived Torchwood for so long, that when Ianto had become ill Jack had only hesitated a little before letting his mate go off on his own. Anything could have happened, and Ianto would have been alone.

Anwyn pulled back, looking at him, her eyes – just like her Tad's – scrutinizing him. "You look good, Dad."

Jack grinned. "I'm feeling pretty good."

Ianto came up behind her, now in his human form, and put his arms around her from behind. Anwyn leaned back into him as she kept her arms around her Dad, connecting the three of them. Even though his pregnancy with her had been a surprise, Jack wouldn't change much of anything, except he would have spent more time with her as she was growing up.

Anwyn had inherited Jack's looks and attitude, and Ianto's human eyes and intelligence. They were a deadly combination: their daughter had learned early on that, if she couldn't think her way out of a situation, then she could use the Harkness charm to get her way.

There was a reason Jack had lovingly nicknamed her 'his little terror'.

Anwyn twisted a little so she could loop an arm around each of their waists; and, since she hadn't quite inherited their height, she raised up on her toes to kiss them both.

"It's so good to see you both," she exclaimed.

"You too, sweetheart," Ianto said, his arm tightening around her once more.

"Your Tad's been on the lookout for you since this morning," Jack teased, winking at his mate. "I tried to convince him that you wouldn't be here until this afternoon…"

Ianto rolled his eyes. "Hush, you. You've seen Anwyn since I have. I can't help it if I was a bit…excited."

"Just a bit?" Jack asked incredulously.

"Well, maybe a little more than that…"

"Quit giving Tad a hard time," Anwyn chastised. "I'm here, and that's all that's important. Now…are you going to give me the tour of the new place?"

Jack pouted, then grinned. "C'mon then, squirt," he said.

Together the three of them circled the shuttle, and Jack couldn't help but notice Anwyn's gasp. "We based the outside on the old Green Dragon Inn," he explained as they walked. "We managed to salvage a lot of the stone from the rubble and rebuilt the façade."

The house was indeed almost what Jack could remember. It was built as a split level, with the ground floor built over a raised underground level, then with a second story and attic above. Back when the place had been an inn, the lowermost section had been the pub; now it was storage and a place where Ianto could set up a small hoard, instead of keeping it up in the cave as he'd once done. The ground floor was now living space instead of the main lobby, dining room, kitchen, and office; although it was the same general layout, the lobby had become their living area, and the dining room and kitchen were now just what a house would need, instead of a working inn. There was also still an office, but they'd designed it the better to keep their links with Torchwood…when they would need such things.

The second floor was bedrooms…one of which Jack hoped Anwyn would make hers permanently. The only other difference was the attic: they'd converted it to their own sleeping chamber, with the skylight that they'd had in all their homes looking down on the nest that he and Ianto shared. They'd long ago discarded the bed that they used to keep as well, not needing it anymore.

"Why so big?" Anwyn asked, as they approached the front door.

"Well, there's your room, of course," Ianto answered. "But…we're hoping to expand the family a bit."

"If that's all right with you," Jack hurriedly added.

After Anwyn was born, they'd decided not to have any more children, since it would interfere with their running Torchwood. There had been times when Anwyn had been raised by nannies and tutors, and Jack was afraid that she might be jealous or take their wanting a family the wrong way.

He ushered them all inside. The foyer opened up into the large living area, with comfortable couches and chairs and a large entertainment center. Some of their favorite art pieces were hung on the walls, and a large stone fireplace took up part of the outside wall.

Anwyn didn't appear to have noticed her surroundings. Her eyes were large, surprise practically overflowing in them. "I thought you wanted to stop after me!"

"We did," Jack admitted. "But that was because we didn't want to take time away from building up Torchwood into a galactic force. After that…well, you know what happened. We just gave up the idea in favor of work."

It hadn't been until Ianto had gotten ill that Jack had realized just what they'd given up. He'd had two weeks onboard ship to think about what was important to him, and by the time he'd arrived on Earth and had rejoined his mate he'd made the decision that they needed to take some time for themselves.

Their daughter looked between the two of them, as if weighing them up. That gaze was very much like her Tad's, and if Jack hadn't been used to it after all these centuries he might have glanced away. "Are you sure you can, since you're back on Earth now?"

It was a valid question, and she didn't seem to be angry or dismissing it out of hand. "I couldn't before because of all the oestrogen in the water, but no one uses oestrogen-based contraceptives anymore. It will have all washed out of the atmosphere by now."

Anwyn nodded. "Does this mean you'll both be retiring from Torchwood then?" It sounded like a challenge.

It was a challenge Jack was willing to take. "For a while," he said. "We're certainly going to cut back a lot, and only work out of London Central if we're needed." He hoped it was enough of an answer for her.

Her eyes darted between them once more, and then she practically jumped them both, hugging them fiercely. "That's great news!" she practically shrieked in their ears.

Once they'd been released from their daughter's embrace, Ianto looked at her and smiled. "I suppose this means you don't object to a brother or sister?"

"Are you kidding?" she enthused. "I've been waiting bloody _centuries_ to be an older sister! Every birthday when I was a kid I'd wish for a little brother or sister when I blew out the candles on my cakes! And don't get me started about Christmas! The only thing that kept me from asking the Earth Dragon was that we weren't on Earth anymore and I didn't think he'd hear me!"

Ianto's look of relief had to mirror Jack's own. "We're glad you think that way," Ianto said, returning her grin. "Your Dad and I really want this to work…and we'd like you to live here, with us, for as long as you want."

Anwyn was practically vibrating in excitement. "Does this mean I get to retire, too?"

Jack laughed. It was the very last question he'd been expecting; she was a bit too much like him, loving the adventure of it all. "If that's what you want, sweetie," he said. "After nearly four hundred years of service, I think you've earned it!"

"Then let's finish this tour," she grinned. "I want to pick out my room!"

* * *

After the tour, the three of them began to unload the shuttle. Dark clouds were beginning to loom over the mountains, and Jack hoped they'd have time to get everything finished before it let loose on them.

At one point in the unpacking, Jack came upon Anwyn and Ianto, talking quietly, his daughter's hand resting on something…taking a step closer he could see it was one of his and Ianto's mating posts.

He remembered the day that they'd been presented to him and Ianto. It had come at the end of a difficult time, and Jack hadn't been certain that it was right, after everything that had happened. But circumstances – and the four very persuasive Dragon-friends that had carved them in secret – had convinced him that he'd needed to reach for what he wanted, when the opportunity presented itself. It had been their first – and only – true dragon mating.

" – someday," Ianto was saying, his own hand on her shoulder.

"Yeah, I know," Anwyn sighed. "It just seems like it's taking forever."

Ianto laughed. "Don't worry. After all, it took me only two thousand years to find your Dad."

"True. It's just that…I'll never get to mate like you and Dad did. I guess I wish I could do it that way, too."

The sadness in his daughter's voice made Jack step forward, but before he could take her in his arms Ianto had beat him to it, pressing a kiss to her dark hair. "If you're meant to, there will be a way. There was for Jack and I. Just give it time, all right?"

Anwyn pulled back, favoring the dragon with a knowing smirk. "And in the meantime I get to spoil whatever siblings you give me absolutely rotten."

"You would," he snorted. "Now, let's get the rest of these things unloaded before it snows. If your Dad would stop standing there and help out a little…?"

"Hey!" Jack exclaimed. "I'm just admiring the father-daughter moment going on."

Ianto rolled his eyes good-naturedly. "I know, Jack. Now, please come and help."

Jack winked at his mate and his daughter, feeling like he truly was home.


	3. The Green and the Blue - Chapter Two

The Green and the Blue - Chapter Two

Author: Milady Dragon

Disclaimer: Not mine, sorry.

Author's note: Here's the second chapter of the second story in the Future series. I need to warn, this contains intimacy between two dragons, so please beware. Hope you enjoy!

* * *

**_31 January 3246 (Earth Standard Year)_**

They'd barely gotten everything into the large front room before the bottom dropped out of a sky that had been threatening for hours.

Ianto set the very last box down, dusting his hands off on his trousers. "I'll make the coffee, shall I?"

"Yes, please!" Anwyn answered, before Jack could even open his mouth. "It's been ages since I've had one of your coffees, Tad."

Jack laughed. "Shame on you, you've even addicted your daughter."

Ianto arched an eyebrow at him. "She just has excellent taste…like her Tad." He turned and headed into the kitchen.

Pulling one of the boxes open, Jack began to rifle through its contents. "I'm not sure where we're putting all this stuff yet, but knowing your Tad he has a plan." Even after so many years, Ianto Jones was still the most organized person he'd ever met.

"I don't doubt it," Anwyn returned. She was checking the carryalls she'd brought with her, containing her own personal belongings.

"We'll get your bags up to your room in a bit," he said, settling in at another of the boxes. He frowned, seeing all the hard copy files within, in protective cases. "Ianto!" he called. "Why did you have Anwyn bring all these files with her?" They didn't look like official Torchwood documents.

"Those are our personal papers," Ianto answered, popping his head back into the room. "I wanted to make certain we'd be ready if anyone tried to claim the land from us that we had everything we needed to prove ownership. After that run-in with that official who showed up after we started construction I didn't want to take a chance."

"Makes sense," Jack said, putting the files back in the box.

"What happened?" Anwyn asked, sitting herself down next to him.

"About a week into rebuilding," Jack explained, "we had a visitor wanting to know what we planned on doing with the valley. Of course we told him we were the owners, but Ianto wasn't so sure he believed it."

"I doubt they even knew we were here until we drew attention to ourselves," Ianto added, returning with three mugs balanced in his hands. He sounded angry, and Jack couldn't blame him.

On present-day Earth, land was at a premium and any unclaimed land was worth its weight in whatever precious metal a person could name. However, Ianto had long ago purchased this valley, using a large part of his hoard, in an attempt to protect his home from any unwanted land-grabbers. Later on the then-King of England had made a land grant extending well into the mountains as a repayment for services rendered, and everything had been left in perpetuity to Ianto Jones, transferable only by him.

Ianto passed out the coffees, taking a seat in a chair near the sofa where Jack and Anwyn sat. Jack watched in amusement as Anwyn inhaled the rich aroma of the coffee before taking a sip.

She made a small moaning noise. Jack didn't want to think that his daughter knew what an orgasm sounded like, but really…she was nearly six hundred years old. She really wasn't his baby girl any more.

"She gets that from you," Ianto accused, taking his own sip.

"I don't know what you mean," Jack answered, trying to sound innocent. He tasted his own coffee, and the unconscious moan echoed Anwyn's.

"See?" the dragon pointed out, somewhat primly.

Jack couldn't deny it. He laughed.

* * *

Lightning flashed, pulling Jack from his doze against his mate's side. He shifted slightly, wanting to get a look out of the skylight.

It was still snowing, flakes sliding down the reinforced glass to collect on the sill. Jack wondered how many inches they'd gotten, and despaired of them being able to get any work done outside in the morning. He knew Ianto didn't mind the snow, but Jack didn't really care for it himself, having got used to the lack of it on Hubworld.

Another flash of lightning surprised him. Now, that just wasn't usual at all. He sat up, to get a better look out of the window. It was completely dark outside, the snow obscuring everything. Then Jack realized that, while there'd been lightning, there'd been no thunder following.

Suddenly, against the snow, was a shape.

It twisted among the flakes, a shadow among shadows. Slitted eyes the color of the deepest, purest water caught his.

Aquamarine scales caught yet another strobe of lightning, and Jack knew at once what he was looking at.

The Water Dragon.

His heart beat faster, not knowing why the Water Dragon would be there, now, and in the middle of a snowstorm.

Spurred on by an instinct he couldn't name, Jack rose from the nest he and Ianto had made, and after putting on some clothing he made his quiet way down to the ground floor. He put on his coat and boots and then headed outside.

In the time it had taken for him to dress and get downstairs, it had stopped snowing.

Jack stepped outside. Somehow a path in the snow had been cleared, and Jack followed it down toward the lakeside, his boots squishing through the soaked grass. All around him snow lay inches deep, pristine and white under a moon that had appeared as quickly as the storm had vanished.

The lake that gave the valley one part of its name lay placid, no waves marking where it touched the shore. He and Ianto had had their mating there…well, the actual place was now under water, since the glacial ice from the tall mountains had melted off over a thousand years ago. Now, the Earth was regaining some of its temperature equilibrium, and the snow had come back to the peaks surrounding them.

He reached the shoreline. Everything was quiet, as if the planet was holding its breath. Jack scanned the lake, breathing in the crisp winter air, waiting for whatever was to come.

_"Welcome home, son."_

Jack smiled as the Water Dragon appeared, hovering just off the surface of the placid lake. His blue eyes were smiling as he moved toward Jack, claws settling daintily onto the cold ground. He wrapped his wings around his body, the moonlight glittering on aqua-colored scales.

"Thank you," Jack answered, "it's good to be home." It was; very much so.

_"We have missed both of our sons, and look forward to knowing our granddaughter," _the dragon said. _"But tonight…tonight, a miracle is going to happen here. Are you ready?"_

Jack's heart raced. He wanted to ask what sort of miracle, but he knew the Great Dragons well enough by now that coming out with that question would only get him a riddle. Instead, he simply nodded.

_"Excellent. Then let us begin."_

* * *

The dragon stirred, missing his mate's warmth immediately. He sat up, looking around the room for Jack, and not finding him.

He reached out with his senses, feeling for his mate. The Vortex that made Jack immortal was like an itch at the back of his head, and it was just distant enough that the dragon didn't think he was even in the house anymore.

Rising, he glanced out of the large skylight. It had stopped snowing, and the moon was shining against the snow, making it brighter outside than it usually would have been. With the tilt the window was set in, it was hard to see the lake, but if the dragon craned his neck in just the right way, he could just see Jack by the shore…and it looked as if he was sticking something into the ground.

Were those their mating posts?

Quickly changing back into human form, Ianto got dressed and headed downstairs. He almost ran into Anwyn on the way; she looked confused. "I felt something was going on," she answered quietly. "I couldn't go back to sleep, and I saw Dad out the window…"

"He's up to something," Ianto said, grabbing his boots from the cupboard by the front door. He didn't bother with a coat; the cold didn't bother him. Anwyn took down her own coat, and together they left the house, walking down toward the lake.

Jack was driving the last post into the muddy ground as they approached. He smiled at them, and Ianto returned it, seeing something in his mate's eyes that sent his heart beating wildly. "What is it, Jack?" he asked quietly, afraid to break the magical atmosphere that seemed to descend over them.

"It's a miracle," Jack answered, taking a step within the circle of the posts.

A golden glow surrounded him, and Ianto watched in some strange combination of shock, joy, and awe as his mate transformed into the blue-gray dragon he'd only seen once, so many centuries ago.

Anwyn squeaked beside him, but Ianto barely noticed as his feet took him into the circle. On the first step over he also changed, shedding his human form and regaining his natural shape, to stand next to his mate.

A sinuous neck curled around his own, and the dragon sighed, leaning into the warm body of his mate. He began to sing the Mating Song, and Jack joined him, their entwined voices echoing over the still valley. He felt his heart swelling within him, as the mating urge rolled over him like a tidal wave of feeling.

Letting out a loud roar, he launched himself upward.

An accompanying roar followed him, as did the beloved form of his mate. The wind whistled under his emerald wings, and he laughed with the overwhelming joy of the moment, knowing that this was, indeed, a miracle as Jack had said.

Out of the corner of his eye, the dragon caught a flash of blue-gray, and with a beat of his powerful wings he outpaced his mate again, the stars above them sharp pinpricks of light that he was reaching for.

The mating imperative grew, and he laughed again, knowing that his mate would eventually win their race, but craving the excitement of the chase. He let a small gout of flame escape his nostrils as he pushed higher into the sky, reaching for those stars that he'd walked among for so long as a part of Torchwood.

The tell-tale tingle of Vortex energy barely warned him of his mate's closeness before powerful claws grabbed him around the shoulders, trapping his wings between their bodies. The dragon shrieked as their upward momentum slowed, the only thing keeping them flying were the strong blue-gray wings beating against gravity.

Their bodies wound around each other, and his mate's arousal pressed against him. He raised his snout to the heavens, and began to sing, the Song of Eternity flowing through him and out of him even as his mate's voice joined his own. He wrapped his tail around his mate's body, pushing himself back toward the waiting erection, begging to be claimed as he'd once claimed his mate, so long ago.

The song was all; the imperative was all. The wind was screaming past them as they plummeted toward the ground, and his mate pushed deep inside him, sharp pain giving way to intense pleasure as they lost themselves in the moment of connection, of the completion of their mating.

They screamed their mutual orgasms to the sky, and then they were separate once more, wings unfurling to catch the updrafts. The dragon flew a complex pattern around his mate, who was laughing as he dodged a playful swipe of one wing, returning the gesture with a tail flip that smacked lightly against green scales.

He landed on an outcrop, and his mate landed next to him. A warm, scaled body curled up next to his, and he reveled in the contact, purring as a blue-gray head rubbed against his, the sides of their snouts brushing against each other in the dragon equivalent of kissing. A puff of hot air tickled his ear, and he snorted softly. "How did this happen?" he whispered, not wanting this to end.

"As I said," his mate answered, "it's a miracle."

"Can this happen again?" He didn't want this to end.

"I don't know, but I want it to. I want you like this, as much as I want your human form. You're beautiful to me, either way." To prove his words, his mate practically crawled on top of him, and it was obvious that he was, once again, interested.

The dragon laughed. "You're insatiable."

"But you already knew that about me." The leer in his voice was priceless.

"I do hope Anwyn doesn't wait up for us."

"I think she'll get the hint."

The dragon felt his mate nuzzle just behind his ear, and he gave up worrying about their daughter as his mate made love to him once more.


	4. The Green and the Blue - Chapter Three

**__**The Green and the Blue - Chapter Three

Author: Milady Dragon

Disclaimer: I don't own this, sorry.

Author's note: Welcome to the next chapter! Thanks to all of you lovely people who are reading this, you know I appreciate you all! Also, I'm going to warn again, just in case...this story does contain MPreg, so if that's not your cup of tea, I certain understand.

Now, on with the story!

* * *

**_10 April 3246 (Earth Standard Year)_**

"Are you putting on weight?"

Ianto turned to regard his mate. Jack was standing in the doorway, leaning indolently against the jamb, his arms crossed over his chest.

He wanted to deny it, but Jack was right. Ianto had been noticing it in his clothes more and more, and it was bothering him. "I shouldn't be," he admitted. "My human form shouldn't be changeable in that way. Is it that noticeable?"

"Not really," Jack admitted, pushing off the doorway and coming to stand behind Ianto, where he was working the coffee machine. He slid his arms around Ianto's waist, resting his hands on the little pudge he seemed to be developing. "I did feel it when we were in the shower last night, and then you were giving your jeans a funny look this morning when you were getting dressed. Are you feeling all right?"

Ianto nodded, relaxing in Jack's grasp. "I feel fine, although I have been a bit tired lately."

"We'll have you checked out if it gets any worse," Jack said, "or if you get sick."

He agreed, even though he disliked doctors as a rule. He was about to agree out loud when Anwyn's calling for them got their attention.

Together the mates left the kitchen, Ianto cutting the coffee machine off, not wanting the coffee to burn. As they made their way out into the living area, they could both hear their daughter's voice raised somewhere outside.

Jack opened the front door, letting in the early spring air. It was still chilly out, but already they could see the signs that the seasons were changing. Ianto loved it, and couldn't wait until summer arrived. He'd always loved summer in Ddraig Llyn.

Anwyn's voice was louder, and it was obvious she was confronting someone. "– my home," she was saying. "What gives you the right to land that thing here?"

That 'thing' was some sort of shuttle, with a triangular logo on it. Anwyn was currently facing off with a middle-aged man, who looked as if he might have some Andrase blood in him judging from the faint yellow sheen to his skin. He was wearing the usual bureaucratic suit, with dark glasses and a briefcase.

"I have paperwork saying that I have every right to land here," the man answered. He must have noticed Jack and Ianto approaching, because his gaze moved from Anwyn to the mates.

"I'd like to see that paperwork," Ianto said, slotting his professional mask into place. "Because this is private property, and our daughter is correct: you don't have the right to be here without calling ahead for permission."

Ianto didn't need to see his eyes, to know that their 'visitor' had just rolled them at his request. "Of course," the man answered. He rested his briefcase on the bonnet of the shuttle, opening it and pulling the forms out. He handed them to Ianto. "We have it on good authority that this is unclaimed land, and has been for over five hundred years."

"You would be wrong," Ianto answered, talking the offered forms. "This valley has been in my name since the late twenty-first century, and I have the deed of sale, plus a royal land grant, to prove it."

"The only reason you're even aware of this place," Jack argued, "was because we took out the permits to build here."

The man didn't seem to have heard Jack; he was looking at Ianto, and the incredulity showed around the obscuring glasses. "You expect me to believe that you've owned this valley for that long?" he scoffed.

Ianto loved dealing with idiots who apparently didn't check their facts. "I do," he answered calmly, even though inside he was getting more and more angry. "I take it then you've never heard of the Torchwood Dragon?"

Oh yes, he enjoyed that particular expression when someone finally 'got it'.

It was at times like this that Ianto actually enjoyed his notoriety. "And this is Jack Harkness, my mate and Director of the Torchwood Institute. I think this should answer any questions about how I can possibly own Ddraig Llyn for so long. Now, let me get copies of my ownership documents to take back to your employers. Next time, please call first before you arrive. Jack, I'm sure you and Anwyn can keep our guest occupied while I step inside for a moment?"

He'd been expecting something like this, ever since that other had shown up during construction of their home. Ianto turned and went back into the house, heading right to the office, glad that he'd had Anwyn bring all of that from Hubworld. He was still angry though; it proved to him that the humans in charge were still the greedy bastards that they'd been ever since he'd been aware of the outside world. Well, the sooner they got rid of the man, the better Ianto would feel.

His stomach was suddenly churning, and he leaned over the desk as a wave of dizziness swept over him. Shaking it off, Ianto awoke their computer and set an external drive into the slot, downloading the needed documents onto it. There was no way he was going to let the original documents get into unsafe hands. Those he'd stored in a safe at Torchwood Central in London.

It didn't take any time at all to gather what he needed, and to put their intruder's own paperwork on the desk. He strode from the office, across the living area, and outdoors, where there seemed to be some sort of standoff between his family and the man. He didn't look like he enjoyed being ganged up on, but Ianto didn't care. He was angry that someone had come and disputed the claim to his home, and if the idiot felt uncomfortable, so be it.

"Here," he growled, giving the man the external drive. "I suggest you update the land records and not come back again. Rest assured, I'll be going through Torchwood and making certain no one makes the same mistake as coming back here without an invitation."

"And I'm going to make sure this is a no-fly zone," Jack added. He looked livid, and Ianto wanted to laugh; his mate always had had an issue with bureaucrats.

"This isn't over, gentlemen," the man said, himself sounding a bit angry as well.

"Oh, yes it is," Anwyn gloated. "You go up against Dad and Tad, and you're gonna lose."

"Anwyn," Ianto chastised quietly, amused by his daughter. "Didn't we teach you not to gloat at the bad guys?"

"Oh, that's right," she answered brightly. "The bad guys are the gloaters, not the good guys."

"Exactly," Jack agreed. "Now, unless you're gonna have a really good gloat, we suggest you leave our property."

The man really didn't have much of a choice after that. The three of them watched the shuttle take off, standing well away from the backwash of the thrusters.

"Like we'd be here if we didn't have the right to be," Jack grumbled.

"I've heard stories of squatters on land that's been abandoned," Anwyn said. "Personally, I'm glad all this is yours, Tad. I'd hate to see it buried under high-rises or concrete or something."

"This is my home," Ianto growled, feeling himself getting angry again. "I was born here. There is no way I'm letting some trumped-up civil servant take it away from me."

Jack was looking at him strangely. "Are you all right?"

Ianto frowned. "I feel fine. Why?"

"Well, you've just gone all red in the face."

"Dad's right," Anwyn said. "I've never seen that color before…well, at least not on _you_. Dad kinda looks like that when he's talked to some sort of idiot who doesn't know his arse from a hole in the ground."

Jack glared at her for a moment and then turned back to Ianto. His eyes were worried. "She's right, though. You don't normally go for the apoplectic look."

"I'm just fine," the dragon snapped. "Quit fussing."

He turned on his heel to go back inside, but the dizziness returned, and he found himself swaying. A strong arm grabbed him about the waist, holding him upright.

"Yeah, you're just fine," Jack said worriedly. "Anwyn, go fire up the transmat, we're going to London."

Anwyn practically raced into the house, as Ianto went much slower, supported by his mate. "I don't need to go to London," he tried to argue.

"You went from red as a tomato to pale as a sheet within a second," Jack said, guiding him. "And then you almost went face-first into the ground. I think you need to go to London. Dr. Sakai can take a look at you."

Ianto hated doctors, but he had to admit that Jack may have a point. He let his mate take him inside.

* * *

Torchwood Central, London, had once been the center of Torchwood until Jack and Ianto had taken it off-world and set up Hubworld. Now, Torchwood Central was more a backwater, a research lab that also monitored the still-active Old Cardiff Rift.

London – or London Island, as some called it – was now a man-made island within the shallow Thames Sea. The city would have been inundated during the great ice melt-off of 2050 if not for what little advanced warning the global warming experts had given. But engineers and scientists had managed to stave off disaster, and now large bulwarks kept the seawater at bay.

The Torchwood building was a ten story structure near where the old Canary Wharf had been, an irony that had not been lost on Jack over the centuries. The transmat had taken him and his family to the lobby of the Central building, and he steered his mate toward the reception desk, Anwyn on the other side of Ianto to catch him if he should get dizzy again.

The receptionist barely glanced in their direction. "Do you have an appointment?" she asked, busily typing something into her computer.

"Jack Harkness," he snapped, irritated by the woman's lack of attention. "You'll find I don't need an appointment. Just contact Dr. Sakai Katsuko and tell her I'm bringing Ianto Jones up for a medical emergency."

The woman snapped to attention immediately; Jack was gratified that his reputation seemed to be preceding him. "Right away, sir," she said, reaching for her earpiece.

He didn't wait for her to do so. Jack led Ianto toward the lifts, Anwyn in tow, and he efficiently butted in front of two white-coated scientists and a smartly-dressed Tlandian, stealing the open lift from them and not apologizing for it.

"Do you have to be so rude?" Ianto asked, sounding very much like himself once more.

"Where your health is concerned? Damn right I do!"

It hadn't been all that long ago that Ianto had been ill, and had to return to Earth as a biological imperative. Jack couldn't help but think that it had been more than that, if his mate was having more symptoms now. He wasn't ready for anything to happen to Ianto; hell, he'd never be ready to lose his dragon. Ianto might be near-immortal, but there were still some things out there that could kill him.

The sixth floor was Torchwood's medical wing, and Dr. Sakai Katsuko was awaiting them outside the lift. "What happened?" the small New Japanese woman asked, not even giving the doors a chance to open all the way before speaking.

Jack described Ianto's symptoms as they moved toward Dr. Sakai's office. She was from New Japan, where most of the former island nation's people had settled after Old Japan had become uninhabitable. They'd managed to survive the flooding by doing what most major cities had done: make Tokyo into a man-made island, but a series of severe earthquakes followed by the re-awakening of Mt. Fuji had made it impossible for anyone to live there anymore. They'd done what others had: taken their culture and history and left Earth, settling another planet.

When they'd decided to move to Earth, Ianto's regular doctor on Hubworld had transferred all of his medical records to Dr. Sakai; she was the top xenobiologist in Torchwood Central, and Jack only wanted the best for his mate. They'd only seen her once, after Ianto's illness, and she'd pronounced him healthy.

Jack hoped she hadn't been wrong in that diagnosis.

"Bring him in," the doctor said, holding her office door open for them.

"I'm not an invalid, you know," Ianto groused.

"And yet you're letting me support you," Jack shot back, his arm tightening around his waist.

Ianto didn't argue; instead, Jack steered him through the office and into the exam room beyond, settling him on the uncomfortable table.

"Were there any other symptoms besides what Director Harkness told me?" Dr. Sakai asked Ianto, as Jack fussed over him.

"There's the weight gain," the dragon answered, brow furrowed. "That's all I can think of."

She looked confused. "But your human form shouldn't be able to gain weight, from what Dr. Asadhi's notes say."

Ianto nodded. "My human form has been set for over three thousand years. Once I reached maturity, it hasn't changed, nor should it…ever again. I'm not certain what makes it fixed, but it's always been the way of dragons."

"Let's get a scan and see what we're dealing with." She began bustling around the exam room, pulling out several handheld gadgets. "Director Harkness…Captain Harkness-Jones…if you could wait outside please?"

Jack wanted to argue, and he could see that Anwyn wanted to as well, but he did as the doctor bid, kissing Ianto on the forehead and then leaving the room, shutting the door quietly behind himself and Anwyn.

He felt a nervous wreck as he began pacing the office, chewing on his thumbnail and worrying that anything could be wrong with his mate and he'd be helpless to do anything about it. Jack was well aware of just what could injure or kill Ianto, and while it wasn't a very large list, there could be anything out there that they didn't know about, that could somehow infect the dragon, and Jack was frankly scared.

"Dad," Anwyn murmured, stopping Jack's pacing by wrapping her arms around him in a hard hug. He knew she was just as scared as he was. This was her Tad as well as Jack's mate, and they had no idea what had caused Ianto's symptoms that morning.

Jack had no idea how long they waited, but when Dr. Sakai stuck her head out and told them they could come in, he didn't feel like he could move fast enough. He was at Ianto's side in a shot; Anwyn on the other, each taking one of the dragon's hands.

Ianto himself looked in shock, and Jack's heart lurched painfully in his chest. He turned to Dr. Sakai, who had a strangely peaceful look on her face. "Well?" he demanded needing to know what was wrong.

"Congratulations," she answered, her face splitting into a wide smile. "You're going to be parents…again."

It was Jack's turn to feel dizzy. He glanced down at his mate again; Ianto met his gaze, his blue eyes puzzled…but happy. "Here I thought you were the one going to get pregnant," the dragon said flippantly.

Anwyn squealed, throwing her arms around Ianto. She was saying something, but it was completely incoherent. Jack was stunned, and he turned back to the doctor. "But how?" he asked, more confused than he could ever remember being. "Ianto is a male dragon…it shouldn't be possible."

Doctor Sakai shrugged. "I have no idea," she answered. "I did a recheck of any and all previous medical scans he's had, and there isn't any sign that he could reproduce in that way…unlike yourself, Director. The closest explanation I can come up with is, in certain alien and terrestrial species, when the gene pool is low and there's an overabundance of a particular gender, some of the members of that species can change their sex. Although, I can't see that Second Jones has lost any of his male sexual organs. He's still male...only he's pregnant. If I were the religious sort, I'd say it was a miracle."

Jack's mind flashed back to that night, when he and Ianto had celebrated their second mating. The Water Dragon had asked if he was ready for a miracle…and he'd thought it was the ability to change again, to enjoy a true dragon mating once more. He'd had no idea it would be this.

"How far along?" Jack asked, needing the confirmation.

"I'd say about nine to ten weeks," the doctor answered.

"The night of our second mating," Ianto said, echoing Jack's thought. He smiled, a beautiful, sweet smile that had Jack's heart melting.

He leaned over and kissed his dragon, and he couldn't help but break it off when laughter bubbled up. "We're going to have a baby," Jack grinned.

"Actually," Dr. Sakai interrupted, "it's twins. That explains the weight gain, when he shouldn't be showing yet."

Jack was surprised he didn't faint.


	5. The Green and the Blue - Chapter Four

**__**The Green and the Blue - Chapter Four

Author: Milady Dragon

Disclaimer: Don't own anything here, sorry.

Author's note: Hello, everyone! Thanks to you all for reading! And here we go...some more plot!

* * *

**_14 May 3246 (Earth Standard Year)_**

Ianto felt content.

He sat in his favorite chair, feet up, and reading one of his favorite books, _The Scarlet Pimpernel_, one hand resting on his quickly expanding stomach. It had been a quiet month, giving him plenty of time to get used to the idea that he was, in fact, a pregnant male dragon. A pregnant male dragon, carrying twins, of all things.

It had taken about a week for the shock to completely wear off.

The rest of the month was dealing with Jack's penchant to hover.

Honestly, he couldn't blame his mate. Ianto had been the same way, when Jack had been carrying Anwyn. And this was twins; that made this a high-risk pregnancy even if he wasn't a male, and a dragon to boot. Dr. Sakai still wasn't certain how he was going to deliver, although a caesarian was a foregone conclusion. But he also knew that female dragons had to stay in dragon-form while giving birth, and Ianto's scales were practically impenetrable by most normal knives and scalpels.

The doctor still didn't know how he'd become pregnant, and Ianto didn't explain about the Great Dragons. Most scientists had issues with mysticism; even Jack had, at the beginning of their relationship. Now of course he accepted it as part of their lives, but it had been hard to convince him of it.

He wondered if the babies would have a human form, or dragon. Ianto was praying for dragon. He remembered his father teaching him to fly; his first leap of faith off the mountain, following his father as they soared over the valley, the dragon-friends of the village watching and cheering him on. Ianto wanted that, to be able to teach his children how to fly, to have the joy of their first flights over their home.

"And just how long have you been on that page?" Jack's voice pulled him from his thoughts.

Ianto smirked. "I should just give up reading as a lost cause at the moment, I think."

"Care to share what's got you so distracted?" Jack perched on the arm of the chair, his hand resting on the back of Ianto's neck, stroking through the short hairs there.

Ianto practically purred. "Just wondering about these two, and what they're going to be: human, or dragon."

"I don't care, as long as they're healthy," Jack replied. "Although I hope dragon, because there needs to be more dragons in the world."

Ianto tilted his head up, offering himself up for a kiss. Jack gladly took the offer, and Ianto moaned softly at the sensual feel of his mate's lips and tongue against his own. He would never get tired of kissing Jack.

"You know," Anwyn's voice interrupted, "when I was a lot younger, I thought that was quite disgusting."

The mates broke apart. Ianto looked up, and saw their daughter standing in the entry, her hands on her hips and grinning widely.

"Then it's a good thing you're not that young anymore," Jack teased.

She laughed. Anwyn had been hovering almost as much as her Dad, and she was always checking to see if she could do anything for him. "You two make me have hope for my own future," she conceded, flopping down on the sofa.

"Some day, sweetheart," Ianto comforted.

"I know," she answered, smiling slightly. She opened her mouth to say something else, when Jack's wrist strap began to beep.

It had been centuries since the Vortex Manipulator had been used for anything but a place where Jack stored his passcodes and as a way to make certain he would be the first to get any alarms or important signals. For it to be going off now…Jack checked it, and frowned, jumping to his feet. "Someone just tried to bypass security on our computer system here."

Ianto also frowned, standing and following his mate to the office, which was situated under the stairs in the same area that the former inn's own office had been. As he approached they could both hear an incessant beeping.

"I'm suspecting someone tried to hack us," was Jack's answer, as he slid into the chair at the desk. Ianto stood behind him, watching as Jack set to work, to see what was causing the alarm.

Ianto growled as the information came up on the screen. Someone had tried to get into their home system, and might have succeeded if not for the levels of security Ianto had installed on the computer. Yes, it was a home system, but both he and Jack often used it for Torchwood business, and the last thing they needed was someone unauthorized getting Torchwood secrets.

"Let me see if I can track them back," Ianto urged. Of the two, he was the better at computers…at least, this century's computers. Sometimes things were still just a bit too primitive for Jack…or that was the story he told. Ianto usually just rolled his eyes and let him get away with it.

They traded places, and Ianto dove into the system, trying to get some idea as to who even tried to get past his defenses. He'd learned from the best – Toshiko Sato – and his knowledge had only grown over the centuries. It would be very hard for anyone to hide from him.

Whoever had tried was good. They'd covered their tracks, but the dragon was determined to find out who had attempted to invade their privacy, and he followed the tenuous trail back to its home base.

"Brock and Tenemyer," he said, confused. He was also angry, that someone would have tried to hack into their computer. "Let's see how they like it when someone gets into _their_ systems!" His fingers flew across the keyboard, programming in various forms of revenge.

Jack's laugh sounded in his ear. "Just what do you have in mind?"

"Is Tad being evil again?" Anwyn asked, her own voice tinged with laughter.

"Yes he is, sweetheart," Jack answered, sounding enthralled. "Watch and learn…"

Ianto snorted. "I'm simply causing a feedback loop in their hybrid processors, which should make a mess of their computing network. That will teach them not to go poking their noses around _my_ system."

"I love it when you're vengeful," Jack whispered in his ear, in a tone that was guaranteed to make the dragon shiver.

Ianto's fingertips stilled for just a second. "Later," he promised.

"I'm going to hold you to that," Jack said, standing back a little.

The dragon went back to work. As much as he missed the feel of Jack's breath on his ear, his mate could be the biggest distraction on the planet. And it didn't help that his own sex drive had increased since his pregnancy. It was a damned good thing Jack didn't need to sleep much.

After a few minutes, he sat back. "Done," he said, satisfied. "Really, I don't know why people think it's a good idea to try and hack in."

"How about a search on whoever tried to get in?" Jack asked, leaning against the back of the chair.

"Good idea." It only took a few seconds to find Brock and Tenemyer.

"That's the logo that was on the shuttle," Anwyn exclaimed. "You know, the one that set down here the day we found out about Tad… "

Jack snapped his fingers. "Oh yeah, I remember. "

"And that man, thinking he had a right to take our home away from us," Ianto growled angrily. He'd thought they'd sent the man packing, and that they wouldn't hear from anyone anymore about it. It looked like he'd been wrong.

"Calm down," Jack's gentle voice and gentle hand on his shoulder helped ground him. "You can't risk your blood pressure going too high."

His mate was right. Dr. Sakai had made it perfectly clear that, this being a multiple birth, that there was greater chance of high blood pressure and other complications, compounded with it being a male pregnancy and him being a dragon as well. This was virgin territory for all concerned.

Ianto took a deep breath, nodding at his mate. "I'm fine," he said, "but we're going to need to do something about this company if we're ever going to get some peace." He realized they must have been after his proof of ownership of Ddraig Llyn, and it was a good thing that it was stored safely at Torchwood Central.

"Tad's right," Anwyn replied. "They're just gonna keep trying."

"I agree," Jack said, "which is why I think it's time Torchwood's Director go and have a little chat with Brock and Tenemyer's CEO."

* * *

The offices of Brock and Tenemyer took up the top five floors of a tower that had been erected on what had once been Piccadilly. The sun glittered off its glass-panel walls, as if trying to outdo the other buildings packed up against it in sheer flash.

Jack strode into the main lobby, his coat flowing dramatically about him, the heels of his boots thumping against the tiled floor. The place was like any other high-rise, and it bothered Jack that Earth had built itself up so much that it no longer resembled the planet that he'd fought for, for so long. Of course, he knew this time in history was one of growth and expansion for the Earth Empire, and he knew how it would look from his own time. He was glad that things would get better, but for now his focus was saving one Welsh valley from becoming just another built-up area.

He approached the reception desk. A young blonde woman sat there, and she looked up when Jack reached her position. "May I help you?" she asked politely.

"Yes," Jack answered, favoring her with a friendly smile. "I'd like to see Joseph Brock, please." He normally would have flirted with her, but he wasn't in the mood.

It had been hard to leave Ianto back home, but Anwyn was with him, and Jack didn't want to bring the dragon into what would most likely be a stressful situation. He knew Ianto wouldn't do anything to risk their twins, but honestly Jack didn't trust anyone who would try to use underhanded methods to steal Ianto's home. It just proved the man was a coward, and a coward tended to use anything at his disposal to gain an upper hand. No, it was better that Jack face them himself, and trust his mate and daughter to come to his rescue if needed.

Not that Jack didn't think he could handle a stuffed-shirt bureaucrat.

"Do you have an appointment?"

"No," Jack answered, "but I know he'll want to see me, if you tell him it's Director Jack Harkness from Torchwood."

The woman's well-sculpted eyebrows went up at that. She reached for her comm., pressing two buttons on her computer in quick succession. A beat later, she spoke into her headset, telling whoever it was on the other end who was there and who they wished to see. Her dark eyes glanced up at him, and she nodded once. "You can go on up, Director Harkness," she said politely. "Mr. Brock's office is on the 60th floor, on the right as you leave the lift."

"Thanks," he said cordially, heading toward the bank of lifts behind the desk.

The trip up to the 60th floor took hardly any time at all, thanks to the state-of-the-art frictionless lift system that had been installed in the building. Jack might have been impressed if he didn't already know that the chrome and glass lift cage was simply in order to awe whoever ascended the building.

He took the time that the upward trip covered to go over what Ianto had found out about Leonard Brock. The man had built his company from the ground up, until Brock and Tenemyer was one of the premier land trading companies on Earth as well as several other worlds. From the records the dragon had dug up, Brock wasn't above underhanded tactics if it meant he got his way.

Well, if Jack had to do it that way, he would. However, for the sake of his family he preferred to deal with things aboveboard.

The doors slid open with a quiet pinging sound, and Jack came out of the lift as if propelled. Brock's office was obvious; it had a glassed-in reception area, where a red-head who reminded Jack forcibly of the long-gone Donna Noble sat at an ostentatious-looking desk. Artwork from half a dozen systems hung from the three walls that were solid, while gold-trimmed lettering on the glass wall said 'Leonard Brock' in old-fashioned calligraphy.

He pushed the door open, putting on a smile for the personal assistant. "Torchwood Director Jack Harkness to see Leonard Brock," he said, his eyes taking in his surroundings. Maybe he was being paranoid, but he didn't want any surprises.

"Of course," the woman answered, her own face remaining a carefully crafted professional mask. "Mister Brock said for you to go right in."

Jack did so.

The inner door was of solid oak; none of the composite material that was so popular. _Just another sign of having more money than a person knew what to do with_, Jack thought as he entered Leonard Brock's office.

The interior was just as posh as the door. Carpet so thick he could feel his boots sinking into it and a blue so deep it was almost black ran wall-to-wall, with bookshelves and trophy cases lining those same walls, all of which were of the same oaken paneling as the door…and the huge desk that took up a large chunk of the room. Ceiling to floor windows made up the entire rear wall, giving a bird's-eye view of London Island, over the wall and the glittering waters of the Thames Sea beyond.

The man behind the desk was equally rich.

Leonard Brock wore a suit that would have made Ianto drool. The man was in his fifties, with salt and pepper hair and piercing brown eyes. He was rail-thin, but it wasn't an unhealthy size; more thin and wiry. He wasn't unhandsome, but something in his manner convinced Jack that Brock wasn't his type…not that he'd have done anything, being mated and all.

"Director Harkness," Brock stood, offering his hand.

Jack accepted the hand, going for politeness. "Mister Brock."

"Please," Brock waved him toward the rather plush visitor's chair. "Have a seat."

Jack did so, and Brock followed suit. "Now," the man said affably, "how can I help Torchwood?"

"Actually," Jack began, "I'm here to discuss your ham-handed attempts to gain my family's property."

He had to give Brock credit; he was a very fine actor. "I don't know what you mean."

"I think you do." Reaching into his pocket, Jack pulled out a flimsy; it was a copy of the most recent survey map of Ddraig Llyn. He reached across the desk, sliding the survey toward Brock. "This is my family's property. My mate owns the entire valley and the mountains around, and has done for over a thousand years. We have the documentation to prove it, which I believe we've already turned copies of over to your representative. And, we traced an attempt to hack into our home computer to your office. Now, I bet if I went down into your main computer bay, I would find quite a few toasted servers, thanks to my mate and his security protocols." He leaned back in his chair, pinning Brock with his best three thousand-year stare. "Are we really going to dance around each other here?"

"I see your reputation for cutting to the heart of the matter is well deserved," Brock answered, smiling slightly.

"I've done my best to earn it," Jack said. "I would appreciate it if you would leave my family alone. Ddraig Llyn belongs to my mate, and as I said has for a very long time."

"This is where we must disagree," Brock said, sounding completely reasonable. "As far as we've been able to determine, that land has been abandoned for over six hundred years. That means it can be claimed under the Land Use Act of 2910."

"We've given you the paperwork to prove the claim," Jack pointed out. "And, if it's been abandoned for that long, why hasn't someone come along and tried to take it before now?"

Brock frowned. "For some reason, the valley didn't seem to show up on any sort of scan before now. It's a mystery, I know. However, be that as it may, we've been able to prove the abandonment of the land, and we intend on claiming it now. As for the supposed ownership documents, there isn't any proof that what we've been given is authentic; it's simply a copy of a scan. How do we know you actually have them?"

Jack had to admit the man had a point, but wasn't about to acknowledge it. The original documentation was over a thousand years old, and in delicate shape. "Everything that we have is also available on the database of the Welsh land rolls, which date back to the eighteen hundreds. Ownership is easily proven through that." He knew this was true; Ianto had checked before Jack had left that morning. The database was always considered the last word in property transactions.

As for the valley not showing on orbital scans…well, it wouldn't have been the first time the Great Dragons had shielded the valley like that.

"As I have said," Brock replied, "we're claiming the property under the abandoned land rules in the Land Use Act of 2910. According to those guidelines, any property must have been abandoned for fifty years and then it can be claimed. From what we've discovered no one has lived there for a very long time. That makes it fair game."

"Not exactly," Jack denied. He was very glad that Ianto had done his research. "I believe the guidelines also state that, to be determined as abandoned, that no tax has to have been paid on the property in that time."

"That is true," Brock conceded. "We've been unable to find any sort of tax record on file for the land in question."

"That's because," Jack said, "the original land grant from the then-Ruler of the United Kingdom states that the property should be held tax-free in perpetuity. In fact, I believe 'in perpetuity' is used quite a bit on that particular document."

Brock's eyes narrowed, and Jack felt as if he'd scored a hit. "We're contesting the land grant, as being unreasonable and far too open-ended to be a proper document. And, without actually seeing the document in question, to authenticate it, I don't think that you have a leg to stand on."

"I've spoken to our solicitor," Jack said, "and he foresaw that. At this moment, he'll be contacting your own to arrange to have the original documents authenticated. When it's been done, then I do expect you to leave us alone."

With that, he stood. While he didn't want the originals of the land grant and bill of sale out of Torchwood Central, he knew it was the only way to prove that Ianto did, indeed, own Ddraig Llyn. And Jack wasn't about to let his mate's birthplace be taken away.

"We'll be seeing each other at the authentication meeting," he said, this time not even offering to shake Brock's hand. "In the meantime, I'd appreciate it if you and your people would stay the hell away from my home." With those parting words, Jack left Brock's office, his coat swirling around him.

He had a feeling he hadn't seen the last of the dirty tricks.


	6. The Green and the Blue - Chapter Five

**__**The Green and the Blue - Chapter Five

Author: Milady Dragon

Disclaimer: I don't own it, sorry

Author's note: Hello again! Hope you enjoy this next chapter. Thanks everyone for reading!

* * *

**_20 July 3246 (Earth Standard Year)_**

Ianto hauled himself up onto the examination table, letting Dr. Sakai help him. At nearly six months pregnant, he felt huge and ungainly; his doctor had laughed when he'd complained about it, countering with the comment that, with twins, it was to be expected. He felt like his human body was about to pop.

"In another month," the physician said, getting her scanners ready, "I'll be making house calls."

Ianto agreed. At seven months he'd change into a dragon and stay that way until the twins were born, although how that was going to happen was yet a matter for debate. He hadn't developed any other female birth organs, and it worried him that they wouldn't be able to get through his extremely tough dragon hide to cut the babies out.

Jack had been helping him set up his old lair in the mountains, knowing that the dragon wouldn't want to be trapped inside the house for those months when he couldn't change back to human. Ianto had noticed that, when transformed, he didn't feel nearly as large, and was already spending more and more time in his true form, even to the point of building a small nest down in the living area, so the family could spend time together. Anwyn and Jack had had to move furniture to make it work, but it did, and Ianto was grateful to his family for accommodating him like that.

Dr. Sakai also helped him loosen his clothing, then positioned the handheld scanner over his protruding belly. Ianto sighed, letting her work, his mind going over what he and Jack needed to do in order to finish work on the lair. They'd already moved much of his hoard into the old cavern and Ianto had indulged and placed orders for all sorts of blankets, cushions, and pillows, which had prompted Jack into teasing him about being a hedonist. To which Ianto had primly replied that Jack had known that about him when he'd mated with him, and that it was a bit late to be bringing it up now.

"There they are," Dr. Sakai said in satisfaction.

Ianto lifted his head up, and his breath caught as he saw his and Jack's 'miracles' on the large scanner screen hanging on the wall. The two tiny dragons were curled around each other, their delicate wings folded against their bodies, necks and tails entwined.

"Can you get me a picture of that?" he breathed, charmed by the closeness the babies were showing.

"Absolutely." Dr. Sakai didn't react as if this was a new request; after all, Ianto asked every time he had a scan done. He'd made up a small scrapbook of images of the twins' development.

"I'm surprised Director Harkness or Captain Harkness-Jones isn't with you," the doctor commented, continuing her work.

Ianto frowned, losing his good mood. "They had business to take care of." Brock and Tenemyer had been quiet since Jack had had that talk with Leonard Brock until two days ago, when a summons to appear before an arbiter had arrived. Knowing that Ianto had his check-up today, Jack and Anwyn had agreed to attend, along with their solicitor. It frustrated him, knowing that his family was fighting for their home and that he was stuck, not being able to help.

He and Jack had talked about using their Torchwood authority to get the claim quashed, but that would only solve things in the short term; if the claim wasn't substantiated without doubt, someone could come back later and try the same tactics. No, it was best to do this properly, and make it impossible for anyone else to attempt it.

Still, it surprised Ianto that Brock hadn't backed off once he'd learned who the owners of Ddraig Llyn were. Not many people tried to take on Torchwood; the centuries had only enhanced their reputation for doing whatever needed to get things done, up to and including dirty tricks. But then, after having done some research into Brock and Tenemyer, the dragon could tell they were used to doing the same thing. With the high cost of premium land on Earth and other worlds, he could see why they could afford to be so ruthless.

However, Jack Harkness could be just as ruthless, especially when someone was messing with his family.

"Everything looks just fine," the doctor reported, smiling. "You have two very healthy little girls."

Ianto grinned, brought out of his bad mood by the news. He was glad that they'd asked to know the gender of the twins, although it hadn't made picking names any easier. "Thank you, Doctor," he said, raising himself up on his elbows.

"You're quite welcome." She helped him lever himself to his feet, which had actually started aching about three weeks ago and hadn't stopped. Jack gave the best foot rubs…

"If your progress continues the way it is," Dr. Sakai went on, "then I think you'll go to 35 weeks. We'll worry about how we're going to perform the caesarian when it's closer to time, although I think I might have a couple of ideas."

"That's great," Ianto said, straightening his clothes. Since it was still unusual for males to be pregnant, no one had yet come up with an alternative to drawstring pants and oversized shirts, and he felt decidedly underdressed.

"Your blood pressure is a little high, but not out of the norm for you or for someone in your condition. You might want to keep monitoring it, just to be on the safe side. Also, I've noticed that your body temperature seems to be rising."

"I seem to remember that's normal in a dragon pregnancy," Ianto answered. "My internal flame is increasing just a little, in order to keep the babies warm."

Dr. Sakai nodded. "That makes sense, and could also explain the slight rise in blood pressure. We'll keep an eye on it as well." She grinned, handing him the photo he'd requested. "Everything looks good, and I'll see you in a month. Call me if anything changes."

"I shall." Ianto hugged her briefly, then left the examination room and headed down toward the lifts. He knew damned well he was waddling, no matter what Jack claimed, and it would have been self-conscious if not for the fact that each and every Torchwood employee he saw greeted him warmly, and didn't make a big deal over the fact that they had a pregnant dragon-in-man-form in their midst. Yes, some of the females would 'ooo' and 'aww' over him, but he was getting a bit used to it. After all, it wasn't anything worse than what Anwyn was doing.

The lift carried him down to the ground floor, and from there it was a short walk to the transmat, but Ianto was feeling a bit out of breath by the time he got there. He'd complained about it to Dr. Sakai, but she'd told him that it was to be expected, that as the twins grew they would press up against other internal organs. It wasn't overly dangerous, she assured him, and just to take rests when he felt he needed them. It was another reason that Ianto would soon be spending full-time as a dragon; with a larger body, there was more room for the girls to grow.

He breathed easier once the transmat deposited him back in his own home. It was a bit of a perk, having a personal transmat in their home, one that Ianto felt he and Jack had earned after twelve hundred years of service to Torchwood. They'd hidden it away in a small broom closet, and the dragon exited it and into the living area, noticing that it was far too quiet for either Anwyn or Jack to be home.

Collapsing onto the sofa and making certain his tired feet were propped up, Ianto sighed deeply and tried to relax. It didn't take long; his eyes drooped, and the last thought was that if he slept too long he was going to be cranky when Jack and Anwyn got back…

A sudden roaring noise roused him. Ianto levered himself upward, his groggy mind not registering what it was at first; then it came again, and he recognized it as a shuttle circling overhead.

He climbed off the sofa and hobbled to the front window. Ianto cursed as he couldn't see where the shuttle was, so he made his way to the front door, flinging it open as he grew angry. They'd deliberately declared the valley as a no-fly zone; Jack had used his connections with Homeworld Security in order to get it pushed though, and it was now official all over the planet. No one should be flying over Ddraig Llyn without calling first to inform them they were coming.

Ianto caught sight of the shuttle as it banked past Pedair Dreigiau, the tallest mountain over the valley, and then head back toward the house. It was obvious the pilot meant to land on the green, and as far as Ianto was concerned that wasn't going to happen.

He triggered his transformation, and the dragon launched himself into the air, powerful wings propelling him toward to the shuttle. It was almost like a game of old-fashioned 'Chicken', each waiting for the other to flinch.

The shuttle suddenly changed direction, narrowly missing the dragon's left wing as it swerved.

The movement meant that the dragon got a good look at the triangular-shaped logo on the shuttle's side: it was from Brock and Tenemyer, and he couldn't believe that they'd be so brazen as to come to the valley while Jack and Anwyn were gone. Did they think he was defenseless, that he wouldn't defend his home…his family?

The dragon saw red.

He took a deep breath, although it wasn't nearly as deep as he would have hoped, and called upon his inner flame. A bright gout of fire erupted from his open jaws, aimed toward the circling shuttle, striking the metal skin just behind the cockpit. The shuttle jerked as the pilot tried to escape, but the dragon followed, breathing another stream of flame along its side, blackening the hull and giving the dragon a sharp spike of satisfaction. Didn't the first representative warn them who he was?

A horrible burning flared along his shoulders, and the dragon spun in midair, finding himself facing what appeared to be a low-orbital fighter, and he managed to dodge the ruby light of its laser as it fired again.

The dragon quickly ducked around the fighter, suddenly afraid that the laser could actually cause some damage. If it had been just him, he would have continued the fight; but there were his unborn twins to think about, and he wasn't about to put them into any more danger than he inadvertently had.

He banked away, aiming for the cave entrance where his lair was. He dodged another blast, but the heat of it seared against his wing, the most delicate part of his body. He couldn't help but think that Brock must want the valley very badly if he was willing to send an armed ship in after him…

_It didn't make any sense_, was the thought that hounded him as he tucked and rolled toward the lake, hoping to get away from the lasers. Unless Brock thought that by killing him would leave the valley open for a takeover. If that was the case, then Brock didn't know his mate and his daughter very well at all.

The dragon pulled out of his roll, skimming the surface of the lake. He would have usually just ducked under the chill water, but he wasn't certain how plummeting at full speed into the surface would affect the twins on impact with the hard surface. The mountains would protect them.

The roaring of engines sounded overhead, and the dragon slid to one side, and then the other, angling his wings to drain his speed. The fighter overshot, and in that moment he realized his mistake, that the fighter was now between him and his sanctuary.

Cursing inwardly, the dragon turned quickly, even as he could see the fighter doing the same. Luckily he was more agile than the ship, and had managed to dodge away before the ship could draw a bead on him.

But he'd forgotten about the shuttle.

The dragon would have slammed into the bulky ship if his reflexes hadn't been as quick. As it was, his wing clipped the metal hull, and it knocked him off course. He smacked his tail into the skin of the ship as he jerked hard to avoid the shuttle, and he roared as he began to head away from his attackers.

The shuttle wobbled, and the dragon avoided its wild movement, but dodging put him back into the sights of the fighter, who took advantage of the situation by firing once more.

The force of the laser pressed the dragon downward, and he smacked into the surface of the lake belly-first. The shock of impact rattled him badly, knocking what little air he'd had in his lungs as the force of the blow sent him into deeper water.

He panicked, terrified for his unborn children, and he tried to surface, but for some reason the dragon couldn't find the way up. He was completely turned around, and his lungs were beginning to strain as the fear made him use up what oxygen he had left.

_"Rest,"_ a calm voice spoke in his mind. _"I have you."_

As darkness crept over his vision, the dragon did as the voice commanded, trusting it to care for himself and his unborn children.


	7. The Green and the Blue - Chapter Six

**__**The Green and the Blue - Chapter Six

Author: Milady Dragon

Disclaimer: I don't own this, sorry.

Author's note: Welcome to the next chapter. There is one more chapter of this story, and then one other written future story. Hope you enjoy!

* * *

**_20 July 3246 (Earth Standard Year)_**

Jack glanced at his watch, his irritation growing as they were kept waiting by Leonard Brock and his solicitor.

They were already twenty minutes late. Even the arbiter that had come in on the case was looking put out, and Jack couldn't blame hir. "If Mr. Brock and his representative aren't here within ten minutes," the arbitrator said in a squeaky voice, "I'm summarily ruling in your favor, Director Harkness."

Jack heard Anwyn's stifled sigh as the other side in the dispute walked into the office almost as soon as the arbiter had finished. "I'm sorry we're late," Brock explained, "but some last-minute business came up."

"Then let's get started," the arbiter said. "Please, everyone take their seats."

Jack, Anwyn, and their solicitor – a tall Remneth from Skaldar, all odd angles and pale red – took one side of the long table that filled one of the large meeting rooms in the Federation delegation building. The Galactic Federation had supplied the arbiter, supposedly one of the best there was; the being was shaped like an ambulatory starfish, and Jack thought hir might have been from the Cassiopeia Cluster.

Brock and his solicitor took the opposite side of the table, and the CEO of Brock and Tenemyer was looking smugger than Jack thought he had a right to be. He and Anwyn had brought the original land grant documents with them; the arbiter had said that an independent expert on ancient documents would also be present, and Jack knew that had to be the stooped, wizened elderly man sitting away from the table, watching the proceedings with interest.

"Gentle beings," the Cassiopeian began, "we're here in order to arbitrate the dispute between Brock and Tenemyer, and the Jones family, for property that might fall under the Land Use Act of 2910." The being's pointed head turned toward Brock. "Now, the plaintiff shall make his opening statement, please."

Brock's solicitor – who was human – stood and did so. It was pretty much the same argument that Brock had used on Jack when he'd visited the man's office for the first – and only – time, and Jack tuned the man out, his irritation compounded by the fact that Ianto would be at his doctor's appointment by now, and Jack hadn't missed one until today.

The call had come very early that morning, and had awoken the entire household. Jack suspected that it was meant to throw them off guard, and to try to rile them up, and while it had succeeded it wasn't for the reason that Brock might have meant. The man had no idea that Ianto was pregnant, and that this was the day they went in for his scans.

Ianto had offered to reschedule, knowing how much it meant to Jack to be there, but he'd convinced the dragon to go on without hm. He could see the image of the scan that Ianto inevitably got at every appointment.

But still, the timing had been bad, and Jack wasn't in the mood to mess around. He'd retrieved the needed documents, arranged for their solicitor, Ahmas Shandara, to meet him and Anwyn at the appointment location. They'd spoken to him previously, so Ahmas wouldn't be going into the meeting cold, and he seemed to think that Brock didn't have a leg to stand on which made Jack even angrier, that Brock would therefore have been wasting their time and causing his mate undue stress.

The other attorney finished his summation, and then sat back down. The arbiter turned to Ahmas Shandara, and the Remneth stood as well, bowing slightly to the Cassiopeian. "Thank you, Honored Arbiter," he said in his broad, orator's voice. Remneth made the best public speakers, with their rich accents and passionate way of speaking. "My statement will be short, only referring to the documents that we have brought with us, and once they are proved authentic then I ask that the honored arbiter dismiss the claim as groundless. Thank you again." He sat back down, and Jack was grateful for him being so quick about it.

The arbiter thanked Ahmas then examined each and every one of them in turn. "I agree that this seems a case that can be cleared up quickly, which is why I asked my learned colleague, Professor Maximillian Moreau, to join us. He can check into the authenticity of the documents in question and we can finish this up today."

The expert in question stood, bringing a case with him to the table. He slid the case onto the table, looking at Jack expectantly. "Director Harkness, if you please?"

Jack put his own case on the table; this one was specially made to carry delicate papers. It came with a tiny device that generated a stasis field around whatever was inside. Jack wasn't about to take any chances with them, not when his mate's home was at stake.

Professor Moreau was putting on a pair of gloves as Jack opened his case. Within were the original bill of sale on the actual valley, and the Royal Land Grant that extended the original purchase. Ianto had been so proud the day he'd received it, for 'services rendered' to the United Kingdom. That day, both he and Jack had also received knighthoods, but that was something they didn't mention, not wanting to make more of a deal of their jobs than they needed to.

Moreau's eyes lit up at the sight of the ancient documents. They were in remarkable condition for being almost twelve hundred years old. Ianto had made certain they were well taken care of, storing them in the Torchwood Archives on Hubworld under climate control until their move back to Earth.

He slid the case over toward the professor, who was practically salivating over them. Jack stifled a grin, sitting back in his seat…

And suddenly he felt such a strong sense of _wrongness_ that he was back up out of his chair in a heartbeat, reaching for the gun that he didn't bring with him.

"Dad?" Anwyn asked worriedly. "Are you okay?"

_"Your mate needs you."_

The voice was so faint Jack almost didn't hear it, but when it registered his heart stopped, and then started back up at twice its normal rate. "I have to go," he stammered, knocking his chair against the one next to it in his haste.

"Really," Brock sighed almost theatrically. "If the Director leaves, then I want a ruling in my favor immediately."

Jack wanted to reach across the table and strangle the arse; it was a good thing the distance was too great. "Something's wrong," he growled angrily. "My mate…"

"Tad?" Anwyn gasped. She paled, and she stood hurriedly, putting her arm around Jack's.

He couldn't think; all he could do was feel the panic start to nibble away at him. What if something had happened to the twins? What if Ianto was sick? Hurt? He would have made it home by now, and he would be alone. What had happened?

"Director," the arbiter's high-pitched voice cut through his jumbled thoughts, "that was a telepathic cry you heard."

Jack looked at hir, his eyes wide. "Did you hear it?" he asked, knowing that Cassiopieans were highly telepathic. Jack, himself though, wasn't, so that shock simply added to the surprise of the call.

"I did," hir answered. "Go, and find out what happened. My expert will continue to look over the documents and when you return I will render my decision."

"I'll stay and make certain everything is aboveboard," Ahmas said. "Go and check on Ianto, the both of you."

"I object," Brock's attorney snapped.

"We made allowances for your tardiness," the arbiter replied. "Therefore you can make allowances for a family emergency."

Jack didn't wait to hear Brock's rejoinder; he bolted from the office, Anwyn hot on his heels. Together father and daughter raced toward the nearest transmat, scared beyond almost all thought. He didn't even stop to think about the warning, or that someone else had also heard it; only that something was wrong with his mate, and that he needed to get home as soon as possible.

He pulled his Torchwood I.D. to get to the front of the transmat line, and his hands were shaking so badly that Anwyn had to enter the code for their home pad. It seemed to take forever for them to be transported, Jack cursing for the first time in centuries that his Vortex Manipulator no longer worked.

Jack didn't even register being transmatted; he pelted from the closet where their personal transmat was located, calling Ianto's name as he searched frantically for his mate. What if he were unconscious somewhere, and unable to answer? Jack knew that panic wasn't going to work, and that he needed to calm himself before being of any use to Ianto.

He stopped in the middle of the living area, taking a deep breath in order to get his heart under control. Anwyn came up beside him, taking his hand in hers, and Jack could tell she was drawing strength from him even as he was doing the same from her.

The faint whine of an engine came from outside the house.

Jack was out the door like a shot. He sobbed a breath as he watched a shuttle and a small, suborbital fighter joined in an assault on his mate over the placid blue of the lake.

He was completely helpless as he watched his mate be herded away from the mountains, where he would have been safe, the fighter firing its weapons at the dragon, who managed to get out of the way. Unfortunately, this caused him to nearly slam into the shuttle, and his wing clipped the ship before tumbling away, taking an opportunity to swipe at it with his tail and roaring his anger at both interlopers.

"What can we do?" Anwyn cried, her hand so tight around Jack's that his fingertips tingled…not that he noticed. His full attention was on his mate, and his battle with the two ships.

If only they still had an aircraft, but the shuttle Anwyn had brought with her had been sent back to Hubworld, and Jack hadn't gotten around to buying one for his personal use…

The dragon swerved awkwardly out of the shuttle's way, but the wild movement put him in the fighter's sights, and a blood-red beam of energy struck the dragon in the back, and sent him into the depths of the lake.

Later on, Anwyn would tell Jack that he screamed Ianto's name as he tore down toward the lakeshore, but he wasn't aware of it. All he knew was that his mate had been forced under the water, and he wasn't coming back up.

And then he felt a tingling throughout his body.

Jack felt a definite shift within his body, one that he'd only ever felt twice in his very long life. He screamed again, the sound becoming a loud roar as he transformed into the blue-gray dragon he'd seen more often in dreams than he'd physically been.

Powerful legs pushed him off the ground, as huge wings unfurled to catch the wind. He roared his challenge to the ones who'd dared attack his mate and unborn children, propelling himself forward, rage and revenge fueling the great flame within him. With a deep exhalation he breathed fire over both ships, and its heat charred the shuttle's skin, while the force pushed the fighter away, although not a mark was made on the fighter's ablative shielding.

The shuttle wobbled, and Jack caught sight of a familiar logo on its side. _Brock and Tenemyer_. His rage grew, and with it his flame, and he attacked once more, determined to send the ship into the lake where his mate had vanished.

Heat blasted against his scales, and Jack growled, his attention from his one prey to the hunter that had dared to attack his family. He breathed fire once more, directly at the fighter's cockpit, but it was obvious that the pilot had realized that their weaponry wasn't going to work against a dragon. It banked and flew away, disappearing over the mountains.

Leaving the shuttle behind.

It did try to escape, but Jack wasn't about to let it. The haze of fury cleared enough for him to realize that he'd need proof of what had happened; that Brock had sent his bully-boys after his pregnant mate. He wanted the man punished for what he'd done. And if he didn't have that, Brock would most likely never give up, if he was willing to kill to get the valley from them.

The dragon banked, aiming his flame toward the engines. Two good breaths and the engine housing was damaged, and the pilot had no choice but to aim for the shore.

Jack didn't follow.

Instead, he curled his wings and hovered over the spot where his mate had disappeared, looking for some sign that he was surfacing.

There was no sign.

Giving an agonized cry, he plummeted downward, hitting the water snout-first. Using his powerful legs he swam downward, hoping to find some sign of his mate before it was too late. The water was clear and cold, and he went deeper, his eyes scanning in every direction, terror beginning to push past the anger he been feeling.

_"Here."_

Jack's head turned at the disembodied voice, and through the water he could just see the body of his mate, floating peacefully not that far away. With a strong swish of his tail and pulling himself forward with his cupped claws he shot forward, and he reached out to the green dragon, capturing his mate in his arms then surging upward, toward the light.

They broke the surface of the water, and Jack began towing his motionless mate toward the shore, fear giving strength to his strokes. He could see Anwyn on the bank waiting for them, and even from that distance he could tell how scared she was.

He was just as scared.

His mate was motionless, limp in his grasp. He put on a burst of speed, and managed to get to the shore, dragging the green dragon up onto the grass.

Anwyn was there, and she raced forward as soon as he had them both out of the lake. "Dad!" she cried, throwing her arms about his neck. He could feel her trembling through the contact. "I called Dr. Sakai, and she's on her way…Dad, is Tad okay?"

"I don't know," he answered truthfully. He positioned his mate a bit more comfortably, on his side; Jack's clawed hand rested on his mate's distended stomach…

And he felt a very distinct kick under his palm.

The sob of relief nearly choked him.

Anwyn put her own hand where his had been, and she grinned. "I felt them," she breathed softly, tears rolling down her cheeks. "And Tad's breathing…"

_"They will be well."_

He looked up. The Water Dragon unfurled his wings, hovering above the surface of the lake.

"It was you," Jack said. "It was you who warned me."

_"It was."_ The Great Dragon smiled in a show of sharp teeth. _"You are our children, and none shall harm you in this place."_

Jack nuzzled his snout against his mate's, feeling the tell-tale tickle of breath against his scales. "Thank you…for everything."

"What the – "

He looked in the direction of the voice. Dr. Sakai stood there, large medkit slung over her shoulder, staring at the Water Dragon in awe. Then she blinked, turning her attention to the pair of dragons on the ground…and she shook her head. "You could have told me you were a dragon as well, Director Harkness," she chided softly, walking forward to kneel beside them, and digging into her kit.

"Well," he admitted, moving just enough to let her work, "I'm not…I'm more of a human who can change into a dragon, instead of a dragon who can change into a man. Besides, I thought it was only a one-time – or two-time – thing." He aimed that last bit at the Water Dragon, who seemed amused.

The Water Dragon chuckled. _"You have always had the ability within you, however you cannot transform outside this valley, since our power does not reach much beyond it any longer."_

That was fine with him; just to be able to share this with his mate was enough.

He sat back on his haunches as Dr. Sakai checked his mate over, Anwyn's arm slung over his back. He couldn't help but worry, despite what the Water Dragon had said. But, true to his word, blue eyes fluttered open, and the green-scaled head moved, and before he knew it Jack was beside him once more, rubbing his snout against his mate's own.

"Jack?" his mate said weakly, surprise evident in both voice and expression.

"He's going to be fine," Dr. Sakai said, putting her equipment away. "Him and the twins."

"Thank you." He was finally able to relax, the stress uncoiling from him like a rope that had been stretched to its limit.

He turned to the Water Dragon. "And thank you," he said sincerely. "For this…for everything."

The Dragon bowed. _"You are most welcome, my son. Take care of each other, and we will always be near." _ With that, the Water Dragon dove back into the lake, his tail making quite a playful splash.

* * *

"Sorry to have kept you waiting," Jack said, breezing back into the meeting room, putting a large grin on his face.

He glanced around the table, catching the reactions to his appearance. The arbiter made a bobbing motion with the upper part of hir starfish-shaped body, which Jack took as a nod. Professor Moreau sat beside hir, looking as if he'd just won the New Vegas lottery. The documents were gone, the case that Jack had brought them in closed once more, and he looked at Ahmas, who nodded discreetly, indicating that all was well. "How is Second Jones?" the solicitor asked, standing from his own seat. "And the children?"

Everyone in Torchwood knew about Ianto being pregnant; Jack knew there was a betting pool going on as to the genders of the twins, which he was more than fond of fueling by pointed comments and sly hints, although he never gave anything away. "It was a close thing," he answered, clapping the Remneth on the shoulder, "but we got there in time."

Jack hadn't really wanted to leave his mate, but Ianto had pointed out that he needed to go, to submit the evidence of Brock's attack on him and their unborn children.

"I am glad to hear that, Director," the Cassiopeian answered, relief in hir squeaky voice.

"Thank you, Arbiter," he replied, his gaze turning toward the other two people at the table. The Brock and Tenemyer solicitor looked a bit confused, and Jack determined that he hadn't known what Brock had planned. Brock, however…

The man looked pissed. He sat in his chair, arms crossed over his chest, his face set in a forbidding expression.

Jack was thrilled.

"Please have a seat, Director," the arbiter invited. "I am now ready to give my verdict on the matter."

He was more than willing to do so, pulling up a chair beside his solicitor's, and giving his attention to the arbiter. He had no doubt which way this was going to go, but procedure had to be followed.

"Professor Moreau has found that the documents submitted are, indeed, authentic," the arbiter said. "In them it is stated that Sir Ianto Jones, the Dragon of Torchwood, shall own the valley known as Ddraig Llyn in perpetuity, granted by His Royal Majesty King Henry William, dated 15 December 2078, for services rendered the British Empire and the planet Earth. It also states that no taxes or liens should be collected against said Royal Grant, and that if something should happen to Sir Ianto Jones, then the valley shall pass to his heirs, which in this document is recognized as Captain Sir Jack Harkness, Director of the Torchwood Institute, and Affirmed Mate to the Dragon of Torchwood, and any children they may either adopt or conceive." Professor Moreau nodded in agreement with the arbiter's assessment. "Also included with the Royal Land Grant was an original bill of sale dated twenty-six years earlier, and signed by the then-residents of Ddraig Llyn as witnesses, of which the Royal Land Grant expands upon. There is no codicil that the land should always been lived upon, but that it shall always belong to Sir Ianto Jones, to do with as he sees fit. In my opinion, that means that he could leave it for long periods of time and not be subject to any acts that come after, including the Land Use Act itself. Therefore, it's my ruling that the claim against the valley known as Ddraig Llyn by Brock and Tenemyer be dismissed, and that Sir Ianto Jones be recognized as having all rights to the property in perpetuity as the Royal Land Grant proclaims."

"Thank you, arbiter," Jack said gratefully.

"You are most welcome, Director Harkness."

Brock rose angrily, spearing Jack with a glare that would have fried a lesser being. "This is far from over," he vowed. "I'll appeal, and we can tie this up in court for years."

Jack rolled his eyes. "I very much doubt that," he said sharply. "Especially since you're going to be busy fighting the charges of attempted murder I plan on raising against you, for trying to kill my mate and my unborn children."

The man's face went red in rage. "How dare you accuse me – "

"Accuse? I have proof." Jack flipped on his comm. "Anwyn, bring in the proof." He clicked it off, and leaned back in his seat, wanting to seem completely calm in the face of Brock's anger, instead of all the anger he felt that Ianto and the babies had been endangered.

The door opened, and Anwyn entered, pushing the shuttle's pilot into the room. She'd been like Jack, not wanting to leave her Tad, but Dr. Sakai had said the dragon was fine, and would stay with him. Both hoped to get this taken care of quickly and then go home, and Jack wanted nothing more than to curl up beside his mate and prove to himself that everything would be all right.

"This man," Anwyn growled, sounding very dragon-like, "attacked my Tad and my unborn sisters in a shuttle over Ddraig Llyn. There was also a fighter, but whoever was in that escaped. The shuttle had the Brock and Tenemyer logo on it, and it's currently parked back home; it's kinda hard to fly something out that's had its engines melted by a dragon's flame." She smirked at that, but Jack could tell she was feeling a little left out, not being able to transform into a dragon herself. She hadn't been able to help when her Tad had been in danger, and that hurt her more than anything.

Jack did hope that, someday, she'd be able to join them.

"Do you wish to bring charges now, Director Harkness?" the arbiter asked, hir voice actually lowering a bit in what Jack interpreted as anger.

"I do," Jack said. "Can I ask that you take care of it, Honored Arbiter? I really want to get back to my mate." If he hadn't been so worried about Ianto, despite all the reassurances by Dr. Sakai and the Water Dragon, he would have taken great pleasure in seeing Brock arrested.

As for Brock, his face had gone through several shades of red, before he stood and walked out without a word, followed by his rather confused attorney. Jack barely resisted the urge to say 'Good riddance', instead taking the higher ground, so to speak.

"I shall take care of it for you," the arbiter offered. "I shall also make certain that the land claim is duly registered. Please, you and your daughter go home. All will be in hand."

"Thank you," Jack said sincerely, reaching across the table for the climate-controlled case. He handed it to Ahmas, asking the Remneth to take the case back to Torchwood Central and make certain it got back under lock and key. The solicitor nodded in agreement, offering his good wishes for their family.

The Cassiopeian did as well, and Jack and his daughter left the room as security arrived to take the shuttle pilot into custody. He wrapped his arm around Anwyn's shoulders, and together they went to the nearest transmat, and to home.


	8. The Green and the Blue - Chapter Seven

**__**The Green and the Blue - Chapter Seven

Author: Milady Dragon

Disclaimer: I don't own it, sorry...

Author's note: Here is the last chapter of The Green and the Blue. Thanks everyone for reading! Next up, is The Call of the Last, the last written future story. However, there will be more!

Hope you enjoy!

* * *

**_23 September 3246 (Earth Standard Year)_**

The dragon felt Jack curled around him, and he snuggled back, wondering what had awakened him so early. Even though they were in the old cave where he'd originally had his lair – it was easier to stay there while he was constantly in dragon-form, instead of being trapped in the house – he could tell the sun hadn't come up yet, as it would be shining through the entrance to the cave if it were any later. He wasn't ready to get up yet; the later it got in his pregnancy, the lazier he felt, only getting up from their nest in order to lay just outside in the sunlight, sleeping for most of the day away even then.

He let his eyes slide shut, reveling in the warm body of his mate. Jack had stayed with him after it was decided he'd need to stay in his true shape for the rest of his pregnancy, and Jack had been content to stay in his own dragon-form most of the time. It was amazing to finally know the sensation of his true mate beside him. Jack couldn't stay that way for long, but he always slept like that, and it was the most incredible feeling imaginable.

A sharp cramp caused his eyes to fly open once more, and the dragon exhaled sharply at the sudden pain. His clawed hands ran over his abdomen, stroking over the swollen scales, his heart beating faster as he realized what was happening.

"What's wrong?" Jack asked sleepily, cuddling closer.

"I think it's time," he answered quietly, in awe that the moment had finally come.

"That's nice," Jack muttered, his snout burrowing into the back of the dragon's neck.

The dragon snorted a laugh. "Jack…I said it's time. Surely you're not going to sleep through your daughters' arrival?"

"What?" His mate jerked upward, blue-gray head staring down, eyes wide with amazement. "Are you sure?"

"Fairly sure, yes."

"But you're three weeks early!"

"You heard Katsuko; twins always arrive early." She'd confided in him that labor could begin at any time at his last examination, two days ago.

Jack's dragon eyes lit up. "Stay there and I'll call Kat."

He climbed over his prone mate and headed for the cave entrance, his tail swishing eagerly. The dragon huffed another laugh at the sight. "Oh," he called out, "don't call her Kat to her face. You know she doesn't like that!"

A particularly sassy tail flick gave the dragon his answer, and he rolled his eyes in amusement.

At least Jack wasn't panicking. For that he was very grateful. The dragon remembered how he'd reacted at Anwyn's birth, and it hadn't been very pretty. Jack had teased him for _years_ afterward.

The dragon lay back among the cushions, trying to relax into the next expected contraction. He breathed out, and then in, excitement trying to bubble over against his attempts to remain calm. It was finally time; their daughters were finally ready to enter the world.

A golden glow filled the entrance, signaling Jack's return to human form. Soft talking floated toward him, but he couldn't make out the words, and knew that his mate was using his comm. to call Katsuko. They'd both come to trust the doctor, and the dragon knew he didn't want anyone else delivering their twins.

Another contraction rolled over him, and he hissed slightly. Well, this wasn't very pleasant. He certainly hoped Katsuko hurried up…

"Calls made," Jack said, coming back into the lair, still in his human shape. "Anwyn is going to wait for Kat to show up, and then both of them will come on up. I think I lost the hearing in my right ear, just from Anwyn's squealing."

The dragon chuckled. Their daughter stayed close during the day, but at night she left her fathers alone in their lair. He knew she was still just a tiny bit jealous of being the only member of the family who couldn't transform into a dragon, but she was still pleased as anything that she would be getting two more sisters. Anwyn was excited about being an older sibling, and couldn't wait until the twins were born. She was having fun teasing both her Dad and Tad about being surrounded by girls.

Jack busily pulled on some clothes and lit several lamps as they waited, and it wasn't too long before footfalls echoed through the entrance. Anwyn and Katsuko appeared, the doctor carrying all sorts of equipment bags with her. "Your timing could be better," she joked, moving toward a table that had been set up beside the nest. "I was enjoying a good nights' sleep when I got the call."

"Were you alone?" Jack leered, making the woman laughed.

"That is none of your business," she answered, waggling a finger in his direction. "Can't you keep your mate under control, Ianto?"

The dragon's laugh was cut off by another contraction. "They're about ten minutes apart," he reported, panting slightly past the pain.

Katsuko nodded. "That's faster than I thought it would be, but then I really don't have anything to compare it to. Male pregnancy isn't that usual yet, and male dragon pregnancy is unique."

"I like being different," the dragon snorted.

"Yes, well it's fun for the rest of us, too," she teased, opening one of the bags. She pulled out a large, hand-held device that had reminded him of the singularity scalpel that Owen had used to have. Katsuko had explained the device fully; it had some of the same functions that the scalpel had, but this one also had a surgical function that would allow her to get through his scales and tough dragon hide. She could easily scan for the babies, and then work around them as non-invasively as possible.

"Is there anything I can do to help?" Anwyn asked, her face a combination of anxiousness and excitement.

"You can be my nurse," Katsuko answered, handing her one of the other bags. "Help your dad set up that sterile field. Never in all the time I studied to be a doctor, did I even consider I'd be delivering babies in a cave, and to a male dragon to boot."

The dragon snorted. "You and me both, Katsuko."

Jack and Anwyn quickly set up the equipment, building a sterile work area around the prone dragon, as Katsuko prepared for the surgery. "I want to wait until the contractions are closer together," she explained as she worked. "As soon as the sterile field is set up, I'll use the scanner to get a look inside and see what's going on. I'll also attach sensors to your abdomen so we can monitor the twins' heartbeats and status."

She'd gone through all this before, but the dragon was grateful that Katsuko was doing it again, because it kept him from dwelling too much on just what was happening. The dragon was becoming more and more anxious as the contractions continued. He wanted his daughters there, now; so he could hold them and know they were all right. Certainly, Katsuko had assured him that their development was going well, but this was the first dragon birth in millennia…and the first male dragon giving birth _ever_. He felt he had every right to be nervous and scared.

"There they are," the doctor murmured, staring at the holographic image on her scanner. The dragon couldn't see, but Jack and Anwyn crowded around in order to check for themselves. The huge grin on Jack's face and the happy tears in Anwyn's eyes told him that everything was just fine.

The fast and steady twin heartbeats filled the cavern. "There's no sign of distress," Katsuko reported. "I think this is going to be a fairly straightforward procedure."

Ianto rolled his eyes through another contraction. "I do hope you didn't just jinx it."

The doctor sighed dramatically. "Oh, I forgot…that's like asking what else could happen, isn't it?"

"Gotta be careful there, Kat," Jack teased. "You're tempting fate."

"And you're tempting your ability to father any more children, Director," she mock-threatened.

"It'll just grow back," the dragon chuckled.

"Ew, Tad!" Anwyn made a gagging gesture.

"Are you six years old…or six hundred?" the dragon replied.

"I don't care how old you are," she answered primly, "you're never too old to be grossed out by the fact that your parents have sexual organs, let alone sex."

"I think the evidence of that is lying right here in this cave," the dragon said, stroking his distended belly.

Anwyn opened her mouth to reply, but didn't get a chance as the sound of singing echoed from the entrance of the lair.

The dragon could feel the power of the song, as it settled into his very soul. He recognized it, even though he hadn't heard it since he was very young. "It's the Song of Birth," he said softly. "I hadn't expected to hear it."

"It's the Great Dragons," Jack breathed. "They're singing for us."

The dragon began to sing as well, only stopping when a contraction took his breath away. Then he would start again, and soon Jack was joining him, and then Anwyn did as well, even though they'd never heard the song before and it was in the ancient tongue of the dragons.

The power of the song grew, and Katsuko seemed to have fallen under its spell, until she shook herself out of her stupor. "Let's get those two little girls out, shall we?" she asked, her voice almost drowned out by the song.

Jack changed into his dragon form, curling himself around his mate, careful to avoid the sterile area. He continued to sing, although he lowered his voice in deference of the dragon's ear. He turned to look into Jack's blue eyes, and such love and power shown from them that his breath was taken away. He wasn't even aware of Katsuko working, so lost in his mate's gaze and the power of the Birthing Song was he.

A sharp pain broke him from the reverie he'd fallen into, and he craned his neck to look down on what the doctor was doing. A sheet had been spread over his abdomen, and it was stained slightly with blood, hiding Katsuko's hands as she performed the caesarian. Anwyn stood beside her, a blanket held ready to catch the first twin, her singing also faded into an almost whisper as she watched in awe.

A soft whimper was the first indication that their first child had entered the world.

Any feeling of pain or discomfort vanished as the dragon watched Katsuko pull the first of their daughters free, handing the small winged dragon to Anwyn to clean up. Tears were running down their eldest's face once more as she cradled the tiny child to her, holding her carefully as the doctor cut the cord.

"Oh my goddess," Anwyn gasped, wonder filling her face. She quickly wiped her sister clean, as a squeaky-sounding cry sounded from the bundle. She moved around to her Tad's side, setting the little girl down beside the dragon's outstretched arm and then darted back for another blanket, ready for her second sibling to make an appearance.

The dragon couldn't decide whether he wanted to watch the second birth, or look at his newest daughter. He found his gaze turning downward to see a pair of sleepy blue eyes staring back up at him.

He was suddenly captivated. The small snout opened in a yawn, revealing very tiny teeth. Scales the color of the finest aquamarines glittered in the lamplight and a fine-clawed hand twisted out from within the blanket.

"She's so beautiful," Jack gasped from over the dragon's shoulder.

A harsh cry sounded, and both proud fathers turned to watch as their second child was delivered. The song crescendo'd, then faded away into nothing as the kicking and fighting younger twin tried to twist herself from Katsuko's grasp, delicate wings flapping as if she wanted to fly already.

"She's gonna give us trouble," Jack foretold, and the dragon couldn't deny it.

The baby calmed once Anwyn held her, curled up against her older sister's chest as if she was perfectly happy to nestle there permanently. They joined their parents and other sister, Anwyn sinking down onto the cushions of the nest gracefully.

The dragon was barely aware of Katsuko working to clean up and close the caesarian incision, as painful as it was. All of his attention was on his family.

"How are we going to tell them apart?" Jack asked, looking down at their identical dragon daughters.

"I'm sure we'll manage," Anwyn answered, the grin on her face threatening to dislodge her ears. "Thank you, Tad…Dad. I've wanted to be a big sister for so long now…"

"We know, sweetheart," the dragon said, resting his chin lightly on her shoulder. "And we know you'll be wonderful with them."

"I hope so." She didn't sound certain.

"Look at how you are with that little one," Jack pointed out. "She calmed down the moment you held her. You're going to be fantastic."

_"You have all done so well."_

The family turned as one, as the Water Dragon appeared in the lair. He shimmered in the light, eyes bright and smile wide.

"Thank you for this miracle," Jack said simply, and the dragon knew that was all there was to really say. The Great Dragons had wanted this to happen, and it had been a miracle indeed.

_"And thank you for accepting it,"_ the Water Dragon returned. _"We are all so proud of you and your family. As long as there are dragons in Ddraig Llyn, this place will prosper." _He looked at Anwyn. _"And have no fear, Granddaughter; your day will come. You have a glorious destiny before you, as do your siblings."_

Anwyn actually blushed. "I just want to look after my family," she said respectfully.

_"And you will."_ The Great Dragon turned his attention toward Katsuko, who was apparently finishing up with the incision area. _"Thank you, Katsuko. You are a true dragon-friend."_

The doctor nodded, wiping her hands on a towel. "They've become true friends of mine, as well."

The Dragon smiled, and turned to the pair of dragons and their family. _"Have you named your daughters, my children?"_

"We have," Jack answered.

Suddenly, the lair was filled with more singing. The other three Great Dragons fluttered into being around them; the power and majesty of the eternal beings making the cave seem like a royal palace. Earth…Air…Fire…Water…the elemental Dragons of the world offering their blessing upon the two miracle children that had been born that early Equinox morning.

The dragon felt his heart swell at the sight. He'd worshipped these beings his entire life, had known them in subtle and not-so-subtle ways. They had made this happen, and he would be forever grateful for it, and for this family.

"Our first-born is Rowena Harkness-Jones," Jack proclaimed, and Ianto knew these words would be remembered forever. "And our youngest is Cadi Harkness-Jones."

_"So shall it be,"_ the Earth Dragon intoned, the deepness of his voice carrying to the very bones of the world. _"We Bless these children, and the family that supports them. You are the first of the new dragon-kind, and will carry our power and memory throughout the stars, long after this world and those of us who are a part of it are forever gone. The Dragons of the Stars, your descendants shall be."_

_"So shall it be," _the other three Dragons echoed.

It was more than anything the dragon could have dreamed. His family…his beloved family…he felt Jack's snout resting against the top of his head, and the unmistakable wetness of tears on his scales. He was crying as well, but he knew they were from the sheer happiness he was feeling. Anwyn leant against her tad's foreleg, cradling Cadi as he tucked Rowena in against his body.

"Now," Katsuko broke in, surreptitiously wiping her own eyes, "while this has been very moving, Tad and girls need their rest. I'm officially shooing everyone but the family out of here."

The Great Dragons all laughed. _"Understood," _the Water Dragon said. _"Although Katsuko, I should like to discuss something with you before you return to London…"_

And, with that, the Great Dragons removed themselves from the lair, and it became a normal cave once more.

"Well," she said, once the Dragons were gone, "is it this exciting around here all the time?"

Jack chuckled. "Nah, not like this."

"That's a good thing," the doctor replied. "I don't think I could handle the pressure."

"Sure you could," the dragon answered.

Katsuko let out a laugh that echoed off the walls. "You're right, of course," she agreed, once she was done. "Now, I'm going to do a final exam of all three of my patients and then it's time to rest. I brought an overnight bag, so I'll stay for a couple of days."

'Thanks, Kat."

"Knock it off, Harkness!"

The dragon laughed, although not as strongly as Katsuko had, out of deference for his incision and the baby curled up against him.

This was his family…his life.

And he loved every bit of it.


	9. The Call of the Last - Chapter One

**__**The Call of the Last - Chapter One

Author: Milady Dragon

Disclaimer: Not mine, although I wish it was.

Author's note: This is the start of the last of the finished Future Stories. It takes place eleven years after The Green and the Blue, and is also a crossover with Doctor Who and BBC's Merlin. So I should warn of mentions of MPreg, character death, and reincarnation.

Hope you enjoy!

* * *

**_14 April 3257 (Earth Standard Year)_**

_The roar of battle settled deeply into his ears, the clang of sword and screams of the mortally injured creating a horrible music that he wished he could escape. But there was nothing around him but blood and bodies and the horrific sight of men killing each other, and no way to regain the peace that had reined just a week past._

_The sorcerer kept walking, the battle surging around him, a sword in one hand and the other clenched tightly, trying to keep his magic from running rampant and striking down both friend and enemy. There was other magic as well; it permeated the air, and it allowed him to follow it easily, and he knew he was walking into a trap even as he kept moving forward, dodging men in their deadly dance upon the field of war._

_When he found the source, he would find his soul mate._

_An enemy soldier tried to attack, and he let his magic toss the man aside before he could get within ten paces. Others moved out of his path, obviously knowing there was no stopping the armed sorcerer with simple steel. _

_And still, he strode forward._

_He cleared the battlefield and kept walking, stalking his prey through the magic that tainted the air like a plague. His soul mate would never have left the battle at his own volition, which strengthened the notion that this was, indeed, a trap. His enemies knew they would have to take both himself and his King out of the picture in order to win decisively, and this would be their one and only chance._

_If they failed, there would be no stopping the bloody vengeance that would come._

_He could see them, just ahead: the man in black armour, and the woman who he once thought of as a friend. He picked up the pace; as he watched, he saw the man fighting the King, and the sorcerer's soul mate was giving no quarter._

_But he was not only fighting steel, but magic as well. His King would not stand a chance…_

_Just as the sorcerer moved within magical range, the killing blow was struck._

_His King – his soul mate – went down into the mud, but not before striking his own mortal wound against his enemy._

_The sorcerer screamed, throwing out every bit of his power at the woman, who was flung backward and landed with an unmistakable crunching sound, making him wish he'd killed her all those years ago before things had gone so far out of control._

_He dropped his sword, falling to his knees next to his King, taking in the horrible wound that had penetrated battle-hardened armour to pierce his heart. Blood stained his blond hair a russet colour, and the sorcerer levered the barely-breathing body up into his arms in a terrible parody of how they'd awakened together the morning before they'd heard their enemies were on the outskirts of the kingdom. _

_Tired, pain-filled blue eyes met his, and a weak smile painted his King's pale lips. He tried to speak, but the sorcerer stopped him by leaning forward and kissing him, not caring that his soul mate's breath tasted of copper and death. _

_The magic poured from within, and it bathed both men in its power…_

"Emrys!"

Emrys Gryffudd jerked so suddenly his head hit the back of his cubicle, his chair skidding slightly as he was abruptly pulled from the strange dream he'd been having. It wasn't the first time; the dreams had been occurring more and more over the last month, culminating in this last one, which had happened while he was supposed to be working. He didn't even remember falling asleep…

He glanced up, and cringed when he saw his boss, Dorian Estrom, standing there, looking quite cross. Emrys didn't blame him; after all, he'd just caught one of his employees sleeping on the job. "Sorry," he mumbled, pulling his chair back up to his desk. "Long hours on Project Knight…"

Project Knight had been taking up Emrys' time for the last two months, including insane amounts of overtime. It had been the baby of Emrys' department for well over a year, but suddenly it had been shifted into high gear when upper management had demanded it be ready for human trials in May. There'd been some who'd thought it couldn't be done, but Dorian – and his team, including Emrys – had proved them wrong.

Dorian looked sympathetic. "Well, you'll get a chance to unwind over the weekend. Word from up high is we all get the next two days off."

"Thank God," Emrys sighed. He didn't think he could really recall what the inside of his flat looked like when it wasn't dark outside.

He just hoped, now that the stress was just about over, that the dreams would end.

* * *

Emrys sat in the best coffee shop in New Cardiff, enjoying a cup of his favourite blend as he watched the offices empty for the weekend. He'd be heading to his own flat as soon as the traffic cleared a bit, and it was relaxing just knowing he wouldn't have to see the inside of his cubicle for two whole days. He'd started thinking that he lived there, surviving on bad coffee and takeaway with his team.

The door opened, the bell ringing cheerily. Emrys paid it no mind, continuing to stare out at the mass of workers bustling on their way. He let his mind wander, going back over the last month of work…and then he cursed himself for thinking about his job when he should be considering what he wanted to do with his unexpected weekend off.

"Mind if I sit here?"

Emrys nearly jumped out of his chair. Looking up at the interruption, he didn't even have time to get a good look at the stranger before the man had taken the chair opposite, setting a cup down on the table.

Once the man was settled though, Emrys noticed several things about his sudden tablemate. He seemed young, but there was something about his green eyes that just seemed to scream 'age'. His hair flopped forward over a high forehead, and a cautious smile graced his lips. He wore a tweed jacket that looked like something out of an historical programme and, of all things, a bowtie.

"Of course not," Emrys said, even though he really didn't want the company and there were other tables free.

The stranger's smile widened. "Thanks." He took a sip from his cup. "They certainly make a good cup of tea here."

Emrys didn't have anything to say about that, never having tried the tea himself. He was a coffee man.

Even if he had wanted to mention anything, the man started on again. "It's been a while since I've been to New Cardiff. Well, when I say a while, I mean not since the city was called New Cardiff…well, not even then, because I remember the original Cardiff…"

It was all Emrys could do not to let his mouth drop. Was this man really saying what he thought he was?

"Okay, I know that sounds a bit strange –"

"Just a bit?" Emrys managed to blurt out.

"Oh, I'm called the Doctor." A long-fingered hand stuck itself across the table, leaving Emrys no choice but to shake it. "Tell me…have you been having weird dreams lately?"

Now, this was just too bizarre. "How did you know?" Emrys asked, even before the thought that he should keep his mouth shut crossed his mind.

The green eyes suddenly turned intense. "There are things happening…things that you don't know about, but will impact your life, Mr. Emrys Gryffudd…Emrys. Can I call you Emrys?"

"How did you know my name?" Emrys felt as if he'd somehow fallen down a rabbit hole and that he'd ended up in Wonderland.

"It means 'immortal'…your name, that is. Very appropriate, although you're not immortal…at least not in the way most people would think. I happen to know someone who is truly immortal," a look of sadness crossed the Doctor's face, and then was gone quickly, "and I can tell that's not you. But there are other forms of immortality that don't entail a person walking around not staying dead."

"Look," Emrys said, his confusion being quickly replaced by anger, "I don't know who the hell you are, but you're obviously a bit touched in the head." He went to stand.

"I assure you," the Doctor once again pinned him with those eyes, "I am very serious. It just doesn't seem like it." He leaned back in his chair. "Please remain seated, Emrys. It's very important that I convince you that I know what's going on in your own head."

The command was implied, but Emrys found himself back in his chair. The stranger exuded a power that he just didn't understand, and he felt as if the world was suddenly and completely out of kilter.

"Let me tell you a story." The Doctor scooted his own chair closer to the table, leaning his elbows on the top. "Once upon a time, there was a Prince and his servant, and they lived in a kingdom that's now just a legend among humans. The Prince and the servant were linked by a great destiny, and after a while the Prince became a great King, and ruled wisely and well. His servant, unknown to him, was actually the most powerful Sorcerer that the world – the universe – had ever seen. They worked together to make their kingdom a peaceful place, and for decades that peace held.

"But, like anything else, it wasn't meant to last. The King and the Sorcerer had made enemies, and those enemies struck, bringing war to the kingdom. In that last battle, the King was killed. But, the Sorcerer couldn't stand the idea of the man he'd loved for so long being taken away by his remaining enemies and violated, so he bound the body with powerful magic, and then hid the King where he believed no one would ever find him."

Emrys' head was throbbing as he listened to the Doctor's almost hypnotic voice tell that incredible tale, knowing that it had to be some sort of children's story. And yet, he spoke with the absolute conviction of complete truth.

It didn't help that Emrys had dreamed of the King's death, with him playing the part of the Sorcerer.

"Eventually," the Doctor went on, "the Sorcerer also died, as all things must…well, except for my friend the immortal, but that's for another day. But the magic that he'd used to bind the King's body also bound the Sorcerer's soul to the Earth, where he would be reincarnated down through the ages, until the King would need him once more."

Now that was ridiculous, and Emrys snorted. "There's no such thing as reincarnation," he denied.

"Come now, Emrys…have an open mind! There are more things out there than can be explained away from your work cubicle."

"No, Doctor. I'm sorry, but reincarnation is a load of bollocks. There's nothing after we die."

The Doctor favoured him with a look that was calling him a close-minded idiot without the man actually coming out and saying it. "How can you know that when you don't have first-hand knowledge of the afterlife?"

Emrys had to concede that point. But he still wasn't ready to accept reincarnation that easily.

And yet…

He'd been dreaming of another life, of being a servant in a great castle. In his dreams he'd served a Prince who had become a great King, and had become his lover. He'd been a powerful Sorcerer, and had protected the kingdom to the best of his ability. And yet, in the end, he hadn't been able to save the man he'd loved from his enemies.

The Doctor simply stared at him, taking sips of his tea, and Emrys knew he was waiting for him to put it all together. The thing was, it was just so unbelievable, even though he'd been seeing this other life that the Doctor had described.

But there wasn't such a thing as reincarnation…or magic.

"I'm sorry," he said, shaking his head, "but I can't believe this. You're asking me to accept that I somehow had another life before this one. You're asking me to accept that magic is real."

The Doctor looked sympathetic. "I understand it's hard to believe, but you're dreaming of your past life for a reason. None of your other lives have done it, and yet you are."

"But why?" All his life, Emrys had been raised to have a logical mind, to accept science and not any sort of blatant mysticism.

"Because," the Doctor murmured, "someone has found the King's final resting place. They've found Avalon."

In that moment Emrys knew just what the Doctor was talking about. "Wait a minute," he exclaimed. "You're talking about King Arthur and Camelot! That's nothing but a fable!"

"No, I promise you, Emrys…King Arthur and Merlin his Sorcerer and lover were all too real."

He seemed so very earnest, and Emrys found himself actually starting to believe him…he shook his head. No, this was insanity. He wasn't going to be suckered into this.

This time, he got up and didn't sit back down. "No, sorry Doctor…I don't believe you. What you're saying doesn't make sense. Now, I'm going to go home and I'd appreciate you leaving me alone." He turned his back on the table.

But the Doctor's voice halted him in his tracks. "And what if I could prove what I'm saying is true?"

* * *

How Emrys allowed the Doctor to talk him into going up to the roof of the tallest building in New Cardiff was something that he would never understand.

The Doctor looked pensive, and Emrys wanted to ask why but for some reason kept silent. He was bouncing on the balls of his feet, hands stuffed into the pockets of his tweed jacket. "Just how is being up here going to prove to me that you're telling the truth?" Emrys demanded, crossing his own arms over his chest.

A small grin graced the Doctor's features as he stepped right up into Emrys' personal space. "You're just gonna have to go on faith."

Cool hands were suddenly on Emrys' face. He tried to pull away out of panic, but the Doctor held on, keeping him steady. Emrys' heartbeat ratcheted upward, and he found himself drowning in those ancient green eyes.

Something snapped within him.

Strange words flooded from Emrys' mouth. A niggling voice in the back of his head told him he should recognize the language, but it was unfamiliar to him as he shouted the words to the cloudless sky. An odd feeling of euphoria flowed through him, and tingling began at the base of his skull and travelled down toward his fingertips.

Just as suddenly as the words began, they ended, and the Doctor pulled away. "Sorry about that," he said. "Well, not sorry, because you wanted proof, but sorry I didn't warn you I was going to pull that particular spell from the depths of your mind."

"Spell?" Emrys stepped back, out of range. "What do you mean by spell?" How on Earth had that come from _him_?

The Doctor made a twitchy movement with his fingers, and Emrys got the hint, even though he couldn't accept it. "You're saying that I can cast magic spells?" he scoffed.

"Well, not so much now, because you don't remember them. But everything Merlin knew back then, you do….you just can't get to the memories. I managed to pull that particular one out of that place where your mind keeps them hidden. If whoever it was hadn't found the King, they would have remained dormant for the rest of your life."

Emrys couldn't help it; what the Doctor was telling him was insane, and simply not logical. There was no way magic existed, and he said so.

"You asked for proof," the Doctor said, "and you're going to get it. All we have to do is wait." He resembled nothing more than a child who'd been offered every sort of candy imaginable.

But there was that trace of sadness in his eyes, and Emrys wanted to ask what it was, but didn't dare. Whatever it was that the Doctor was trying to prove to him, it was something that he didn't want to do, that much was obvious.

So instead, he asked, "Wait for what?"

The Doctor glanced up into the sky. "It's easier if you see it yourself. I don't think you'd believe me otherwise."

Emrys wanted to leave. He wanted to go back to his flat, perhaps call some friends, and decide what he wanted to do with an entire weekend off. He hadn't seen his own mother in weeks, and she'd probably forgotten what he looked like.

But there was another part of him, a secret part, that wanted to wait to see what the Doctor had done. That was whispering to him that magic truly was real, and that, somehow, it was inside him. He'd never been one for fairy stories, but he was apparently living in one…unless the Doctor was as mad as Emrys considered him to be.

And so, he settled in to wait.


	10. The Call of the Last - Chapter Two

The Call of the Last - Chapter Two

Author: Milady Dragon

Disclaimer: Not mine, so sorry about that.

Author's note: Here is the second chapter! Just as a reminder, this is a crossover with Torchwood, Merlin, and Doctor Who, and has such things as Reincarnation and character death in it.

Hope you liked it!

* * *

**_14 April 3257 (Earth Standard Year)_**

The dragon who had gone by the name of Ianto Jones for almost too many years to count soared on the air currents over his home, the lake shining beneath him as he ducked and rolled under his mate's clumsy grab. He laughed, and the blue dragon that was Jack Harkness' secondary form smirked as he flicked his tail against the dragon's emerald green scales.

Ddraig Llyn had changed in the little over eleven years since he and Jack had come home once more. Not only were they the parents of twins – their miracle children, given as a blessing by the Great Dragons themselves – but they had opened the valley once more to their closest friends and trusted allies, who had come to live there as well. Seven families called Ddraig Llyn home now, including their own, and they were happier than the dragon could remember.

A smaller aquamarine streak flashed across in front of him, and the dragon pulled up. "Watch where you're going, young lady," he scolded. He hadn't gotten a good enough look in order to tell which one of the twins it was, but he was betting on Rowena; Cadi would be waiting at the house for Anwyn to arrive.

While retirement had done wonders for Jack and himself, their eldest daughter had found herself at a bit of a loose end after a couple of years, even with the challenges of helping her fathers raise twin dragons. A couple of times a year Anwyn would take on jobs outside the valley, using her Captain's credentials and her Torchwood connections to get supply runs to various colonies in the Empire. Sometimes she would take private contracts; other times, Torchwood itself would ask her to fly personnel or equipment to various other planets.

Anwyn had been on a private job this time, ferrying a group of archaeologists to some ruins half a galaxy away. She was due back today, and the dragon knew that Cadi had been waiting very impatiently for her older sister to get home. Where Anwyn was, Cadi was right there, and she'd actually worked out a way to take her human form by the age of nine, just so the little dragon could go places with her. Rowena hadn't caught up with that until she'd turned ten.

"Sorry, Tad," Rowena answered, not sounding at all apologetic. "But Anwyn's back!"

The dragon glanced at his mate, and saw Jack grinning. Together they banked toward the shore, and as they neared they saw their eldest standing there, Cadi with her.

Jack didn't even wait until he'd touched down before changing back; he landed quite gracefully in a swirl of gold, looking immeasurably pleased. The dragon rolled his eyes and made his own landing, triggering his own transformation as he pulled his wings into his body.

Anwyn was grinning widely. "Dad!" She hugged Jack. "Tad!" Then Ianto. "It's good to be back. The hellions keeping you both busy?"

"Well," Jack answered, "no one's given Rowena chocolate lately."

Their other daughter had joined them, taking on her own human shape. She – and her identical twin – had Ianto's slightly curly hair and Jack's eyes. She rolled those eyes as dramatically as only someone looking like a ten-year-old could. "That's only because you and Tad ordered it all hidden," she sassed back.

"Of course we did," Ianto said, chuckling. They'd learned that Rowena, normally a fairly calm and solemn child, would go buzzing about like a hummingbird on speed if given enough chocolate.

Anwyn laughed, hugging both her sisters to her sides. "Then I suppose my presents might not be welcome?"

"As long as you're volunteering to peel Rowena off the ceiling," Jack teased.

"Dad," Rowena whined with all the petulance she seemed to be able to muster.

Cadi looked up at Anwyn adoringly; that had been the way of things, ever since the twins had been born. From the moment Anwyn had held Cadi in her arms, the youngest Harkness-Jones child had been nearly inseparable from the older Anwyn, and had only been happiest when close to her. It was a strain on her when Anwyn was gone, Cadi only coming out of her shell when Anwyn was home.

There were times when Ianto was very worried for his and Jack's youngest, but there really wasn't anything that could be done. They'd thought about sending both twins out of the valley to school, but knew that would have been impossible; despite the multi-cultural aspect of Earth schools, Ianto simply didn't trust them to be able to deal with adolescent dragons.

Jack had suggested they bring more families with children to the valley, that way their little ones would have playmates. Three of the new families in Ddraig Llyn fit the bill, and while Rowena had taken to them, Cadi was still prone to being far too quiet when Anwyn was gone.

They'd talked to Anwyn, but neither Jack nor Ianto would have dreamed of asking her to stay when it was obvious that her own retirement wasn't what she wanted. She still felt that sense of duty that had driven the dragon and his mate to work for Torchwood for twelve hundred years. She also had itchy feet, and Jack had blamed himself for that; it had been one of the reasons he'd left his own colony – the other being Gray, his brother – and had joined the Time Agency.

At least she was limiting her trips, which made Ianto happy…and not just for Cadi's sake. He wanted his family all together, and while that might have been a bit selfish, he figured after so long he was entitled to a bit of selfishness.

Together, the family made their way into their home, the rebuilt Green Dragon Inn. Jack ushered their youngest into the lounge, while Ianto headed into the kitchen, knowing that he would need to feed his mate and eldest daughter's caffeine addiction. Anwyn followed, volunteering to help with snacks and refreshments.

As Ianto set to work at the coffee machine – it was an old-fashioned model, but then sometimes modern didn't equal the best – Anwyn dug around in the cupboards for cups, mugs, and for the secret biscuit stash that the dragon always kept. "I won't ask you how you know where those were," he teased.

"Please, Tad," Anwyn laughed. "You were never quite as sneaky as you thought you were."

"And here I blamed your Dad for the biscuits running out."

"Who do you think showed me where they were?"

Ianto chuckled. "So, do you have any other jobs lined up?"

Anwyn shook her head. "Nothing coming up. Look, I know you need me around –"

"We'd never dream of asking you to stay somewhere you didn't want to," Ianto assured her.

"I know that." She hugged him, one-armed. "And I love you and Dad for it. I really thought I was ready to retire…"

The dragon hugged her in return. "It's fine. We love you, that's all that matters." He went back to working the coffee machine. "So…did anything exciting happen on your trip?"

"Not really," she answered. Then she grinned. "Although, there was this gorgeous man I met at Farpoint Station…"

"And you think it's gross that you know your Dad and I have sex?" he asked, rolling his eyes.

"It is!"

Ianto chuckled. Anwyn's libido, while not the equal of Jack's, was also possibly one of the reasons she left periodically. The pickings were slim in Ddraig Llyn, and while he knew his daughter really wanted to find her own mate, she still sought out 'company'…not that Ianto could blame her. She may have been a little over six hundred years old, but in dragon terms she was still very young. It was another reason why she wasn't ready to completely settle down.

"Just so long as you're being careful," he said.

"Please," she snorted. "I'm on every form of birth control known to human, alien, and dragon…it's perfectly fine." She stood on tiptoe and kissed his cheek. "You know you worry too much, Tad."

"It's my job," he answered, smiling slightly.

"And you do it far too well." She stepped away, opening the packet of biscuits and setting them on a plate. "Let's get these out to the starving hoards, and I'll tell you more about my trip…and yes, I'll keep it family-friendly. I'd hate to get you and Dad all upset."

"Brat," Ianto said fondly.

"And yet you still love me."

"If I must." He mocked-glared at her.

Anwyn passed over the mugs she'd taken down, just in time for Ianto to pour the coffee. "Yes, you must," she answered lightly.

Ianto couldn't help but smile. Yes, he really must.

* * *

They'd spent a lovely afternoon together, Anwyn regaling them with several funny stories, which prompted Jack to do the same. Both Rowena and Cadi were wide-eyed as their older sister described the planet she'd visited; all desert and ruins and two suns. Ianto knew that, one day, the twins would want to accompany their sister, and he and Jack would let them go. It would be hard, but they would be with Rowena and Cadi as they were with Anwyn; they wouldn't tie any of them down to the valley until they were ready to stay for good.

Jack was sharing a story from their old Torchwood days when Ianto felt…something.

Before he knew it, he was on his feet, staring around the room, but somehow he knew whatever it was, wasn't anywhere near.

"Tad," Anwyn whispered, "what was that?"

"Ianto?" Jack inquired, concerned. "Anwyn?"

The dragon held his hand up. Whatever it was called to him, pulling him from the house and out onto the beach, and he knew Anwyn was right with him, followed by the rest of their family. He'd never felt anything like it before, and it frightened him yet at the same time he felt as if he belonged wherever that strange feeling was drawing him.

_"You hear the call."_

Ianto had been so distracted by what he was sensing he didn't even notice the Earth Dragon appearing before him, and he jumped at the deep, rumbling voice. "The what?" he asked, more sharply than he'd intended.

The Earth Dragon's ethereal form settled onto the ground. _"You hear the call of the Last Dragonlord."_

The dragon stilled, shock overcoming him. _The Last Dragonlord?_ That was impossible…

The Dragonlords had died out so long ago; in fact the very last had been Merlin, King Arthur's Court Wizard and Consort. Merlin himself had died childless, the last of the Great Sorcerers ever to walk the Earth…at least, that was what the stories claimed. The entire magical world had mourned the day Merlin had passed, knowing what it had meant to those who were left behind.

Magic would be almost completely gone within a thousand years, with only pockets still existing in isolated areas of the world.

Including Ddraig Llyn.

He was saved from denying what the Earth Dragon was claiming by Anwyn's voice, sounding strained. "If they're calling Tad, then why am I feeling it? And why aren't my sisters?"

"What the hell is going on?" Jack demanded. "What do you mean…Dragonlord?"

Ianto wrapped his arm around his oldest daughter, not as surprised as he should be that she was also sensing the call…since it was obvious that it was some sort of magical signal. She was, after all, a part of him, although why the twins weren't was a question.

_"You both must answer," _the Earth Dragon said, completely evading the questions that had been thrown in his direction. _"Our Pact with the ones called Dragonlord must be followed."_

"But there are no more Dragonlords!" Ianto reiterated, frustrated, the need to answer the summons growing the longer they stood there.

_"And yet there was the Call," _the Dragon said pedantically.

"Ianto and Anwyn aren't going anywhere until there's some sort of explanation!" Jack insisted. He kept Rowena and Cadi close; both girls clung to their father as if he were their lifeline.

"A very long time ago," Ianto answered his mate, "a certain clan of dragons entered into a Pact with a family of humans. The reason is lost to time, but it meant that anyone of that clan would be forced to answer any sort of summons from any members of that human family line. It was basically an agreement for those dragons to become slaves to that family."

"You mean you have no choice but to answer whatever this call is?" Jack looked angry.

Ianto couldn't blame him; he wasn't feeling all that happy himself. "No choice at all. But, all the so-called Dragonlords were supposed to have died nearly three thousand years ago. There shouldn't be anyone left to make the call!" He glared accusingly at the Earth Dragon. "And why does Anwyn sense it and not the twins?" He knew why Jack didn't; his mate was technically a human who could transform into a dragon and not a dragon who could transform into a man. Although Anwyn had never shown any sign of gaining a dragon-form.

_"Rowena and Cadi are too young to sense the call," _the Earth Dragon finally deigned to answer. "_Dragons of only a certain age can be summoned by a Dragonlord."_

"And that still doesn't explain why there's a Dragonlord out there when they're all supposed to have died out!" Ianto growled.

"Tad," Anwyn sighed. "We don't have any choice. I can feel the pull getting stronger…"

She was right. The summons was thrumming along his very nerves, tugging him toward the source of the call. There really was no way to avoid going.

"It's to the south," he murmured, turning his face in the direction the call was strongest. "We can take the transmat to New Cardiff and home in on it once we get there."

"No way," Jack snapped. "You two aren't going anywhere until we know more about the situation. And I'm not about to let you walk into something that might be a trap."

"Jack," Ianto sighed. "We'll be all right. Even though we don't have a choice, any Dragonlord wouldn't hurt us." He didn't want to try to explain how Uther Pendragon had used a Dragonlord to supposedly trap and kill most of the dragons in that long-lost clan. He didn't think his mate would let them leave, no matter how strong the call became.

"It's okay, Dad," Anwyn added. "Tad and I can look after ourselves. Besides, there's no way I'm going anywhere without being armed."

"I'm coming with you –" Jack began.

"Someone has to stay here with Rowena and Cadi," Ianto pointed out. "We'll keep in contact, Jack. I promise."

Jack didn't look happy; the twins looked scared, and Ianto wished they could understand more of what was happening. He realized that all the two could tell was that he and their sister were going away, and that their Dad was worried.

He knelt down in front of them, hugging the two girls to him tightly. "Anwyn and I will be back soon," he said with certainty. "You take care of your Dad for us, all right?"

Rowena nodded solemnly. "We will, Tad."

Cadi was angry. "But Anwyn just got home!" she stamped her foot.

"Hey, brat," Anwyn said, taking her turn with the hugs. "I'll be back with Tad. We just have to do this, and I promise I'll stay home through the New Year, all right?"

The little girl chewed her lip. "But I missed you!"

"I know, and I missed you, too. But someone has to stay here and keep Dad out of trouble, you know how he is."

Cadi nodded seriously. "Okay, but hurry back, okay?"

"Do my best, kiddo."

Jack looked very uncertain about the whole thing. "Ianto…"

The dragon pulled his mate into his arms. "You know we'll be careful, Jack. And we'll come back."

"I trust you," Jack muttered. "It's just whoever's behind this call that I don't trust."

Ianto nodded, releasing Jack. "I know. We'll be careful."

"You better be. Now go on, before I change my mind and call in all sorts of back-up for you from Torchwood Central."

He knew Jack would, too.

* * *

They transmatted to New Cardiff, materializing at the main transmat hub for the city. It was past rush hour, and the hub wasn't nearly as busy as it would have been just an hour ago. Ianto and Anwyn left the modern-looking building, stopping to stand in the middle of what passed for the Roald Dahl Plass in this new city in order to get their bearings.

"We're close," Anwyn said, confirming what Ianto himself was feeling.

"What do you say we arrive in style?" He might not have been happy about having to answer this call, but Ianto knew he wasn't about to walk into the situation in his human form.

"They must be expecting a dragon," Anwyn agreed. "I say we give one to them."

Ianto grinned at his daughter. "Let's get somewhere a bit more private."

'More private' ended up being the roof of the transmat hub. Once they were there, Ianto triggered the change into his true form, and the dragon shook out his wings before kneeling just enough for Anwyn to climb up onto his back. She'd come prepared, wearing a pair of goggles around her neck, her hair tied back to keep it from blowing into her face. She wasn't wearing a coat, since it was warm enough without one, but she was still dressed in her shipboard clothes, which made her almost like a Steampunk version of a Cavalier. All she was missing was the large feathered hat to make the look complete.

Never let it be said that a daughter of his and Jack's didn't have flair, especially where clothes were concerned.

"You haven't taken me flying in a long time." The dragon could hear the excitement in Anwyn's voice.

"Then we should get to it!" With a flexing of his wings, the dragon was airborne, sailing over the city of New Cardiff.

It was so very different from the old Cardiff that the dragon had lived in for so long. The buildings were taller; and while some of the landmarks were the same, others were very different. There was no more Millennium Centre, and yet the Plass had been transplanted. The entire city was cleaner and brighter than Old Cardiff had been, and the dragon found he missed it.

He circled around, trying to follow the call back to its source. It thrummed strongly against his nerves, pulling him toward the City Centre…

The dragon followed the call, knowing the sooner they found out what was going on, the sooner they could get back home.

The call seemed to be coming from the tallest building in New Cardiff.

With his sharper vision the dragon could make out two men on the rooftop. As he flew closer, more detail became visible: one of them was tall and gangly, wearing somewhat anachronistic clothing; and the other had black hair, even thinner than the other, wearing a fairly nice business suit with the tie loosened.

He looked vaguely familiar, but the dragon couldn't place him.

Kicking up a wind that whipped the strangers' clothes, the dragon settled onto the rooftop. Anwyn didn't wait for him to bend down before she was sliding off, her hand firmly on the butt of the blaster in its holster at her hip. As he furled his wings close to his body he looked at the two men. The one in the business suit he realized was in too much a state of shock to be a concern. The other, though…

The other man literally _stank_ of Time.

There was only one person that the dragon knew who dressed oddly and was that rife with the sheer essence of Time.

"Greetings, Doctor," he growled, narrowing his eyes at the Time Lord. "I take it you're the reason we were called here?"


	11. The Call of the Last - Chapter Three

**__**The Call of the Last - Chapter Three

Author: Milady Dragon

Disclaimer: I don't own anything really.

Author's note: Sorry, I meant to have this up sooner! Hope you all enjoy.

* * *

**_14 April 3257 (Earth Standard Time)_**

It was a dragon.

An honest-to-God dragon.

Emrys didn't know whether to gibber in fear or gape in complete shock.

And yet, at the same time, there was something tickling the back of his mind, something that he felt he should remember…

The creature was beautiful and otherworldly, with emerald green scales and brilliant blue eyes that were currently staring the Doctor down. If Emrys could judge, then he had to guess that the dragon wasn't at all happy with seeing the man there.

The dragon wasn't alone; a woman was with him. She was dressed rather flamboyantly, in a pale blue blouse with a black leather waistcoat that hugged her in all the right places. Black trousers tucked into flat-heeled boots completed the ensemble, along with a pair of goggles that she was pushing up onto her forehead, revealing bright blue eyes. She had a handsome face, with a dimple in her chin.

She was quite attractive, but obviously deadly, and that was even before Emrys noticed her hand didn't waver from the butt of the blaster she wore strapped to her thigh.

The Doctor was fidgeting; but then, Emrys thought 'fidget' was his default setting…although he wasn't afraid of the large – presumably mythical – monster at all.

"Not really," the Doctor answered. "He's the one who called you." He motioned at Emrys, bringing the dragon's attention firmly on him.

"That is impossible," the dragon rumbled. "There are no more Dragonlords left."

"That's a technicality," the Doctor hedged. "Look, I know you don't like me, but can't you be polite and change? I'm getting a crick in my neck."

The dragon huffed, and Emrys swore it rolled its eyes. It didn't speak; instead, a golden glow began to surround its body, contracting until it was vaguely man-shaped…

The glow faded, revealing a youngish man with dark hair, wearing a deep red pullover and jeans. He looked perfectly normal, and yet Emrys' mind boggled at the fact that this unassuming yet good-looking man had once been the mighty creature who'd landed on the roof just minutes before.

Everything the Doctor had said about magic was true.

Emrys' world tilted alarmingly, and he found himself being steadied by the young woman, who appeared to be stronger than she looked. "Are you all right?" she asked, her accent a strange combination of Welsh and something that Emrys could not identify.

He couldn't help but respond to the concern in her face. "Sorry," he murmured. "When I woke up this morning I didn't expect to see a creature out of legend arguing with a stranger who just happened to show up in my favourite coffee shop and claimed to know why I was having weird dreams."

The woman smiled. "Well, Tad's not a legend, I assure you. You might have heard of him, he's also called the Torchwood Dragon."

Emrys started at her calling the dragon 'Tad' but he was too busy considering what she'd said to ask her about it. "I have heard of the Torchwood Dragon," he admitted, "but I thought it was just some sort of fancy nickname."

"Nope," she said. "That's my Tad. Ianto Jones, Torchwood's Second. Oh, I'm Anwyn. Anwyn Harkness-Jones," she introduced herself.

"Emrys," he couldn't help but reply in kind. "Emrys Gryffudd."

"Nice to meet you." She sounded as if she meant it, favouring him with a very charming smile. Emrys swore her eyes actually twinkled.

The man –being? – named Ianto Jones was staring the Doctor down in pretty much the same way the dragon had, even though they were the same height. "So," Jones practically growled, "would you care to explain just what's going on?" He sounded like he had no patience at all, and Emrys wondered just what past events were colouring this obvious reunion.

"Ah yes," the Doctor answered, spinning toward Emrys like a whirlwind. "That comes down to my new friend here, Emrys Gryffudd. He's been having weird dreams…only they aren't dreams, they're memories of a past life."

That brought the dragon's eyes on him, and Emrys could see the _age_ in them, and he wondered just how old he was. Whatever it was that had been tickling his memory when the dragon had appeared came back, only this time…

_He was carrying an armload of the Princes' clothes down to the laundress, when someone ran into him as he was coming around the corner, knocking Arthur's shirts onto the floor. As he bent down to pick them up, a voice apologized, and he looked up into blue eyes. _

_"It's fine," he answered, gathering up the laundry and glad that it had been dirty. _

_The young man was also kneeling, picking up what were obviously bolts of cloth from where they'd tumbled in the collision. "I usually look where I'm going," he said, "but my father was waiting on the King, and he needed the fabric to show His Majesty…"_

_Oh, the stranger was the Master Tailor's apprentice. That was where he recognized the young man from. "Don't worry about it. The Prince inherited his prattishness honestly."_

_The apprentice laughed. "Ieuen," he introduced himself._

_"Merlin."_

"I know you," Emrys blurted, his eyes widening. "You came to Camelot, with Master Bren, the tailor..." He wrung his hands as memories not his slammed into his mind. "Uther wanted special clothes made for Arthur's Ascendance ceremony, and Master Bren was the best in the land…only you called yourself Ieuen…"

The dragon looked stunned. He stepped closer to Emrys, studying him closely. "How can you know that?" he demanded. He spun back toward the Doctor. "His name is Emrys?"

"You knew him?" the Doctor asked, equally surprised.

"Wait," Anwyn cut in, staring at each in turn. "Do you think we can start at the beginning?"

"What an excellent idea, Captain Harkness-Jones," the Doctor exclaimed, grinning at her.

"You know me?"

"I couldn't mistake you for anyone else! You look just like your dads." The Doctor actually chucked her on the chin, then spun and headed toward the roof-top access hatch. "Well, come on!" he called over his shoulder. "This is at least a three cup of tea story!"

* * *

Of course, they ended up in Emrys' flat.

He should have known that would happen.

The place was a mess. He hadn't been home much in the last month; he'd get done with work, and then come back and flop down on bed to catch up on his sleep.

He didn't ask how the Doctor knew where he lived, because Emrys really didn't want to know.

Anwyn dragged him into the tiny kitchen, trading a look with Jones as they passed. "Let's go make the tea," she said cheerfully, as if it were the most natural thing in the world. She made a beeline for the two-hob stove, where Emrys had left the kettle that morning before he'd left for work.

As she emptied the dregs, complaining softly about 'descaling', Emrys glanced back over the small island and into his lounge. The Doctor and Jones were standing in the far corner of the room, the Doctor backed into the corner, with Jones' back toward the kitchen. Emrys could tell the dragon was upset by the stiff set of his shoulders and the curved fists at his side. The Doctor was wearing a sad expression, as if he were simply taking whatever Jones was saying to him. Emrys couldn't make out words, but by the tone of the murmuring it was obvious it wasn't a nice conversation.

"They have a history," Anwyn's quiet voice brought his attention back to her.

"What?" he asked, not sounding at his most intelligent.

"Tad and the Doctor." Anwyn filled the kettle, setting it on the hob to heat. "I don't know a lot about it, but it's been going on long before I was born. I think it's about Dad, just from the very little I've heard." She leaned against the door to the refrigerator, crossing her arms. She favoured him with a grin. "So, what do you do when you're not having odd visions and being dragged around the place by a hyper Time Lord?"

Emrys couldn't help but return the grin; Anwyn was quite charming, and it was working on him very well indeed. "I'm a theoretical geneticist," he answered, getting into the cabinets for mugs.

"Theoretical?" she asked, sounding genuinely interested.

"Yep," he said, leaning his hip against the counter. "Just means I get to do extrapolations along genetic lines and to plot mutations that are beneficial to mankind. If we can make changes to the genome in a computer, we might someday be able to do it with real-world applications. One of our departments is the one that worked on a male-pregnancy genotype…sounds crazy, I know…but there are entire planets out there where the men carry the children. If we can do that for the human race, it could theoretically become easier to populate colony worlds, as well as give male same-sex couples a chance to have families that don't have anything to do with adoption or surrogacy."

Anwyn was grinning, but this time it was slightly manic. "What if I told you that research actually worked?" she asked teasingly.

Emrys frowned, and then looked back out toward the so-called Time Lord. He just managed to catch him handing Jones something small, and while he didn't have a clue how to read lips the words, 'I'm so sorry' were very obvious. "I'm not even going to ask how you know that."

The woman chuckled. "Well, I'll just say this…I look like both my Dad and my Tad. And my little sisters are the same."

The kettle whistled, and Anwyn worked with the infuser and the loose tea, decanting the hot water into his only teapot, while Emrys found a tray to put the mugs on. "Ah, the tea is on," the Doctor called from the lounge. "Then we can get the explanations on the road!"

He didn't sound as if he'd just had a heart-to-heart with someone who only looked like a man but who was actually a dragon, and who might – or might not – have been pregnant at some point. In fact, he sounded just as excited as he had in the coffee shop; and when Emrys turned to carry the tray out, he couldn't help but notice the Doctor looked as happy as he sounded. Jones stood near the lounge's one window, his hand clenched around whatever it was the Time Lord had given him, his eyes very old.

Anwyn managed to clear a place off on the rickety coffee table, scooping a pile of magazines out of the way, and Emrys set the tray down. There was sugar and milk on the tray as well, and Emrys wondered how Anwyn had found them both.

The Doctor pulled the single armchair in close to the table, and Anwyn perched on the edge of the sofa, reaching for the teapot. "Shall I be mother?" she asked, her tone teasing.

"Thank you," the Doctor said, taking the offered mug, heaping sugar into his tea and stirring it somewhat frantically.

Jones had come away from the window, and accepted his mug from Anwyn, also thanking her.

Emrys noticed that, whatever the Doctor had given him, was no longer in his hands.

After she'd served both Emrys and herself, Anwyn leaned back and speared the Doctor with a glare. "Now, do you mind explaining just why you decided to call me and Tad away from home? Oh wait…you said Emrys did that, but I think we all know it was your doing."

The Doctor sipped his tea, making panting noises when he scalded his tongue. "Okay," he said, when his mouth was sufficiently cool once more, "I admit that I helped Emrys call you…although I thought only Ianto would hear it." He leaned forward, looking at her intently. "You heard the call as well?"

"She did," Jones answered for her. "And I'd like an explanation for it…as well as one for Emrys, here."

The Doctor looked up at him. "I think you already know what's going on here."

Jones seemed irritated, but answered, "You're convinced Emrys is the reincarnation of Merlin, King Arthur's Court Sorcerer."

Hearing it the second time didn't make it any easier for Emrys to hear. "I don't believe in reincarnation," he reiterated. Still, there was a part of him that whispered to him, that what the Doctor was saying made a strange sort of sense.

Plus, it almost helped that no one there seemed to think the idea was crazy.

"He's been having visions of his and Arthur's life together," the Doctor pointed out. "And, even though it was buried deep, he did know how to call you both here."

"But no one should remember their past lives," Anwyn pointed out. "Why is he?"

"Oi," Emrys spoke up, "I'm sitting right here." He really hated it when people talked like he wasn't in the room.

"You do resemble the Merlin I remember," Jones mused.

"Spatial temporal multiplicity," the Doctor said, waving the hand not holding the tea mug. "More interesting is the fact that you knew the original Merlin." He sounded just a wee bit jealous.

Jones nodded. "My father and I went to Camelot once. I met Merlin there."

_The great dragon stared down at him, his golden eyes sad. "I am the last of my kind…"_

"But he was the last," Emrys protested, the sudden vision so short he almost didn't recognize it as such. "He said so!"

"Well," Jones shrugged, "he lied. He wanted Uther to think he was the last, so no one would go hunting our people down. It's the reason he stayed chained up as long as he did…in fact, it was the reason he did a lot of things, even after Merlin freed him." He turned to the Doctor. "Anwyn has a valid point. Why does Emrys remember his past life as Merlin? Admittedly, I don't know much about reincarnation, but I do believe that's not supposed to happen."

"No, it's not." The Doctor set his mug down on the coffee table, then leaned back and steepled his fingers, regarding Emrys closely. Those old eyes made him want to squirm in his seat, but Emrys caught himself. "He's remembering because Avalon had been discovered."

Jones stiffened. "But that's impossible," he denied. "Avalon should have remained protected."

"You know better than anyone that Earth is slowly losing its magic," the Doctor answered. "I daresay that valley of yours is one of the last remaining places on the planet that has any substantial magic left in it."

Emrys was about to open his mouth and argue about the existence of magic, but the expressions on both Jones' and Anwyn's faces stopped him; they looked wrecked, as if the Doctor had just told them a relative had died. "Yes," Jones said slowly. "I am…aware of that. It's just that Avalon was supposed to last until the end of the world. King Arthur's body would remain hidden away forever."

"Nothing lasts forever," the Time Lord sighed. "And that includes you and Jack. But the loss of magic was bound to weaken Avalon's defences, and it was only a matter of time before someone stumbled over it."

"But wait," Emrys jumped in, "why would I be remembering this so-called past life anyway? Why would the finding of Avalon trigger it?" Perhaps he was being a bit stubborn in not wanting to admit that everything they were saying made sense, but he wasn't ready to give in yet.

"I should have thought that was obvious," the Doctor said. "King Arthur."

"But King Arthur is dead! How would someone finding where he was buried do anything to me?"

'Because Arthur and Merlin are bound together by the same magic that's been protecting the King all these centuries," Jones answered softly. "I don't pretend to understand magic – it really was never my strong suit – but I would think the spells woven around Arthur would have somehow warned Merlin if and when his body was disturbed."

"You are absolutely correct," the Doctor congratulated. It should have sounded condescending, but didn't. "The wards around Arthur's tomb might have reached out and tried to warn Merlin…the only problem being is that Merlin is dead. Only his soul was reincarnated into our Emrys, here. The magic can't warn Merlin, so it goes for the next best thing."

"Look," Emrys said, "I find all this really hard to believe. These weird dreams could just be stress due to working long hours, eating a lot of dodgy curry, and watching too many historical dramas."

"Emrys," the Doctor looked straight at him, and it was as if he was staring right into his very soul, "do you honestly think, in your heart of hearts, that what you're experiencing is nothing other than too much takeaway and too much telly?"

Emrys opened his mouth to answer, but nothing came out. The Doctor's eyes were boring into him, and he could feel the other two staring as well, waiting for him to respond. Yes, he wanted to believe that was exactly the reason for what was happening to him, but in the end he couldn't, not faced with what he'd heard and seen. And a too-active imagination simply didn't explain away the fact that he'd recognized Ianto Jones as Ieuen from the past…and the fact that he was a dragon…

"I know it's hard to grasp," Jones said, and Emrys glanced in his direction. He looked a bit angry, and very determined. "It took me a long time to convince my mate that magic actually existed…I can only imagine what he's going to say about reincarnation…"

"I _know_ what he's going to say," Anwyn muttered.

"But there's just too much evidence pointing toward the Doctor being right." At that comment, Jones looked a little disgusted. Emrys wondered just what his history with the Time Lord was. "I think it's time you acknowledged the truth of what's going on."

He was right, of course. Emrys sighed. "All right, let's say I agree with this insanity. What's our next move?"

The Doctor smiled slyly. "I was hoping you'd ask that…"


	12. The Call of the Last - Chapter Four

**__**The Call of the Last - Chapter Four

Author: Milady Dragon

Disclaimer: I don't own anything here.

Author's note: Hello, everyone! Welcome back! Here is the next chapter, a lot quicker than before, and I hope you enjoy!

* * *

**_14 April 3257 (Earth Standard Time)_**

Ianto was uncertain about bringing the Doctor to Ddraig Llyn, knowing his mate would be very unhappy about the Time Lord's presence in their valley. Not to mention having him around their twins.

Seeing the Doctor on that rooftop had been the last thing he'd expected. After all, neither he nor Jack had laid eyes on the Time Lord in a little over twelve hundred years, and their last meeting hadn't been a good one. Ianto had been certain the Doctor had washed his hands of both of them, and he hadn't thought about him for a very long time.

Jack, however, did keep track of him, although it was more of a function of his role as Director of Torchwood than out of a desire to see the Time Lord. So, when they all stepped out of the transmat, his mate's reaction was not unexpected.

"What the hell is he doing here?" Jack demanded, putting himself between Rowena and Cadi. The three had been in the lounge, obviously awaiting their return…and Ianto felt suddenly guilty for not warning his mate beyond the vague 'expect guests' that he'd mentioned over the comm. as they'd headed for the nearest transmat point. But he knew that Jack would have told him not to bring the Doctor if he'd done that, and despite his own feelings toward the Time Lord the situation could be serious.

"It's fine, Jack –" he began, only to be cut off by his mate.

"Anwyn, take your sisters out to the kitchen and get them a snack," Jack ordered. "Dinner is going to be delayed."

Their eldest moved forward, steering both twins – who each had an identical look of curiosity on their faces – out of the lounge, a smirk on her face. She'd confided in Ianto on the way to the transmat just what she believed Jack's reaction would be, and she'd called it word for word.

"Perhaps Emrys should go with them," Ianto suggested calmly, not wanting their guest to watch the family dirty laundry getting aired.

"Bullshit," Jack growled. "He travels with the Doctor; he can see just what he has to look forward to if he ever crosses him."

Ianto wanted to point out that Emrys was not, in fact, a companion, but he didn't think Jack would listen. It had been a long time since he'd seen his mate quite this angry; not that he could blame him. The dragon had been just as mad when he'd seen the Doctor on that rooftop.

Emrys looked stunned at the vehemence of Jack's words, but the Doctor simply stood there and took it, and Ianto knew he would continue to do so, just from the conversation they'd had back in New Cardiff. He stuffed his hands in his jeans' pockets, feeling the cool lump of metal in one of them.

"So," Jack began, stalking toward the Time Lord, "you're the one who forced Ianto and Anwyn to leave here?"

"Yes," the Doctor answered honestly. He didn't say anything else; perhaps knowing that trying to defend himself wouldn't do much good, and would actually make Jack angrier.

"You can't just demand my family's presence like you're entitled to it," Jack went on. "We're not at your beck and call anymore, Doctor. We've moved on with our lives."

Ianto moved to Emrys' side, the young man looking decidedly shell-shocked by Jack's tirade. He rested his hand on Emrys' shoulder, and very gently pushed him toward the sofa. Emrys got the hint, and he slowly headed in that direction, until he was close enough to fold his lanky body onto it.

"I know, Jack," the Doctor answered quietly. "I wouldn't have done it if I didn't need their – and your – help."

"And so you break over a thousand years of silence by summoning my mate and my daughter as if you're calling well-trained pets?"

Ianto wanted to break into Jack's rant, but knew his mate needed this, just as Ianto had needed the words he'd exchanged with the Doctor back in Emrys' flat. He'd mostly taken the Doctor to task for his treatment of Jack; the dragon didn't much care how the Time Lord treated him, but his mate was another matter entirely.

"Jack," the Doctor said, "that wasn't it at all." He took a deep breath. "I finally did what the Great Dragons practically dared me to, all those years ago…I looked into your timeline. And what I saw…I was wrong about you, Jack. I was wrong about both you and Ianto, and I'm sorry."

That apology seemed to have robbed Jack of speech; he stood there, gaping at the Doctor as if he were seeing him for the first time. "You…" he finally managed to stammer, "you're admitting…"

"I will say that I still don't agree with what happened with the Master, although I certainly have come to understand the reasoning behind it," he went on. "I'm also very sorry for what you went through that horrible year, and for my part in what happened. My last regeneration had the tendency to think he was right, even when he wasn't, and you were the one who suffered the most."

"Jack," Ianto took the opportunity to step up to his mate, digging his hand into his pocket and pulling out the object that the Doctor had given him, back in Emrys' flat.

The dragon took Jack's hand, and slipped the ring onto his finger.

Jack held up his hand, the oddly-cut sapphire glittering in the overhead lighting. "Where did you get it?" he asked softly.

"The Doctor gave it to me," Ianto answered, looping an arm around his mate's waist and pulling him closer.

"My last regeneration found it on the _Valiant_," the Doctor explained.

"And he kept it?" Jack asked incredulously. "He – you – knew what it meant to me! Why?"

The Doctor shrugged. "Anger? Jealousy? Because he was an idiot?"

"All of the above?" Ianto asked acerbically.

"I wouldn't put it past me," the Doctor admitted, a small, self-deprecating smile gracing his lips. "I have to be honest…after my regeneration I forgot about the ring, until…well, let's just say the TARDIS gave me a swift kick. I fully meant to return it, but you know me…"

"Always running?" Jack asked rhetorically.

"And there never seemed to be a good time, which is ironic considering I'm a Time Lord. So, when this opportunity presented itself, I decided there was no time like the present to try to fix things. Emrys needed proof of what I was telling him, and I knew you were living on Earth. Although, I didn't expect Anwyn to hear the call as well…anyway, I hope you consider accepting my apology, and I really do need your help."

"I'll…consider it," Jack said, even though Ianto knew that, in the end, his mate would indeed accept the apology. "How can we help, then?"

"That is quite a story," the Doctor answered. "Let's have a seat and we'll have a bash at an explanation…"

* * *

Jack actually accepted reincarnation a lot easier than Ianto had believed, but then his mate had had a long time to get used to magic and other supernatural happenings that seemed to plague their lives. Maybe Ianto should admit that he believed their friend, Katsuko, was the reincarnation of Toshiko Sato…

No, maybe not. It isn't like Katsuko would even remember her former life, after all.

"Okay," Jack said, as he curled into Ianto's side, "you're saying that the magic reawakened these memories because King Arthur is in potential danger."

"Basically," the Doctor said, "yes."

"And we need to find Avalon and rescue his corpse."

"That's it exactly." The Doctor was on his fifth mug of tea, and was apparently caffeine-buzzed, judging from the way his hands were flapping and his head was bobbing.

"As familiar as I am with the stories," Jack went on, "I'm not sure why we need to save a body that's been dead for about two and a half millennia. Certainly he'd have reincarnated, just like Merlin supposedly has."

"That's just it," the Time Lord exclaimed, bouncing a little. Ianto decided he needed to be cut off now, before he started acting like Rowena did when she had too much chocolate. "The magic that allows Merlin's soul to reincarnate, keeps Arthur's from doing the very same thing."

"You mean he's trapped in his body?" Emrys asked, paling slightly.

The Doctor looked at him sympathetically. "That certainly wasn't Merlin's intention, but grief does strange things to people." There was a double meaning in his words, one that only those who knew what had gone on before would catch. "He only meant for Arthur's body to escape his enemies, not to do what he actually did."

"So," Ianto said, "we also need to save Arthur's soul, for it to travel on to wherever it's meant to go."

Something shifted in the Doctor's face, and the quick sip of his tea did nothing to hide it. Judging from Jack's sudden stiffening, he noticed as well.

The Doctor was hiding something from them.

"That's about it, yeah," the Time Lord answered. "But I think we need to be asking another question here…"

"You mean the one that goes, 'who would want to go searching for Arthur's body in the first place'?" Anwyn asked, from where she was curled up in another armchair, Cadi cuddled up in her lap. Rowena was leaning up against the front of the chair, her legs tucked up against her chest. Both twins looked bored with it all, but then they most likely didn't understand a lot of the conversation…or maybe they did, since both were extremely intelligent for their age, and just didn't see the point.

"Oh yes, a very interesting question indeed," the Doctor answered, practically bouncing his in seat.

"It might not even have anything to do with the King," Ianto replied. "As I'm sure you're aware, Doctor, unclaimed land is at a premium on Earth. If the magic faded over time, then a random surveyor could have found Avalon." Jack squeezed his hand comfortingly, as Ianto recalled what had happened when they'd moved back home eleven years ago.

"True, true," the Doctor agreed. "But I think there's only one way to find out…"

"You mean go to Avalon ourselves," Ianto said.

"There's just one problem," Jack replied. "We don't know where Avalon is, and I doubt whoever is there is gonna trumpet finding new land, let alone a corpse."

"And don't look at me," Emrys denied. "I might have some of Merlin's memories, but that's not one of them."

"Then there's just one way to find out." With that, the Doctor was up and out of his chair, and the others were scrambling to follow him.

The Time Lord strode out of the house, and down toward the lake. "Oi, Dragons!" he shouted. "We really need your help!"

Ianto was a bit scandalized at the Doctor's behaviour as he practically ran to catch up. "Can't you show a bit of respect?" he demanded.

The Doctor had come to a stop just before the water would have lapped over his shoes. Ianto joined him, and Jack took up the Time Lord's other side. He blew through his lips, making a rude sound. "It's not like they don't know I'm here," he said, grinning widely.

_"We cannot miss your presence, Doctor," _the laughing tones of the Water Dragon sounded around them, even before the glistening aqua dragon breached the surface of the lake. _"You are a force not to be ignored."_

"See, my reputation precedes me," the Doctor said gleefully. "Although I'm a bit surprised you're being so civil toward me."

_"What is past, is past, and was meant to be," _the Water Dragon answered. _"We are far too old to harbour grudges, especially when you come on an errand of great import."_

"Been eavesdropping then, have you?" the Doctor winked at her.

The Water Dragon laughed again. _"We hear all that goes on within our valley, as you well know."_

Wait…was the Doctor actually flirting with the Great Dragon?

"I was hoping you had."

_"You are seeking Avalon," _the Dragon replied. _"And you believe we may know where it is."_

The Doctor fiddled with his fingers, all the while looking at the Water Dragon. "I'd be surprised if you didn't."

_"Our power has faded, but perhaps I may know of someone who may help." _ With a flick of her tail, the Dragon dove back under the surface of the lake, and the Doctor jumped back, shaking the water off his now-wet shoes.

"That's a nice exit," he called out over the calming lake, stepping back a couple of feet.

Ianto shook his head, unable to believe the sheer cheek of the man. He couldn't help but smile, even though he was still fairly bothered by the Doctor's being there, in their valley.

"And you accused me of flirting," Jack snarked, rolling his eyes.

The Doctor managed to look innocent. "I don't know what you mean."

"Excuse me."

All three turned at the tentative question. Emrys stood there, his eyes wide, looking very much like a goldfish. Anwyn put her hand on his arm. "You get used to it," she said kindly, giving the young man a friendly smile. "Hang around this lot enough, and you soon see it all."

The twins gave simultaneous eye rolls, and Jack said, "They get that from you."

"I have to start training them early," Ianto said primly.

"You've both done good here," the Doctor murmured. "I didn't believe in destiny really, until I saw it for myself."

"Thank you, Doctor," Jack answered, just as quietly.

Ianto simply nodded, his eyes taking in the newest incarnation of the village that he'd grown up in. Ddraig Llyn had changed many times in the nearly 3,300 years he'd been alive; it had also changed its name several times, reflecting the prevailing languages. It had been Ddraig Llyn for the longest, just as the dragon had been Ianto.

Their house was the largest structure, and the dozen others had been built radiating from it, making it the focal point of the village. Everything was built of the natural stone of the valley, many of the structures constructed of recycled blocks from the once-ruined buildings that had been the only witnesses of the valley's changes over the centuries while he and Jack had been off-world. They'd gathered a bit of a crowd; those who had come to live in the valley were standing around, watching events unfold, including their good friend, Sakai Katsuko, who had delivered the twins and had been asked to become the Water Dragon's Friend; the first Great Dragon-Friend in a very long time.

The valley was their refuge, and it was quickly becoming one for others as well; others who would appreciate the peace they would find there.

They didn't have long to wait.

The Water Dragon burst from the lake once more, but she wasn't alone. A woman came with her; she was pale, with dark hair and eyes, attractive in a waif-like way. She stood upon the water's surface as if it was the most natural thing in the world, and she walked toward the shoreline, letting them all have a fond smile.

Ianto recognized her at once.

The Lady of the Lake.

Bowing, he greeted her as she stepped onto the bank. "My Lady."

She laughed. "Oh, don't do that. Please…it's Freya."

"Freya?"

Ianto turned to look at Emrys. In that moment, he saw the man who knew himself as Emrys Gryffudd become Merlin the Court Sorcerer of Camelot.

It wasn't a physical change per se; but it was as if the world had suddenly settled its entire weight on his shoulders, as he moved closer to the Lady of the Lake. "Freya?" he repeated, before sweeping the woman up into his arms.

"Merlin!" she cried, returning the embrace. "It's so very good to see you!"

She stepped back, and out of the hug. Her eyes searched Merlin's face. "You still don't remember everything," she stated.

Merlin shook his head. "But it's me…I'm here."

"Wait," Anwyn said, confused. "I may be missing something, but what's going on?"

Ianto made the introductions. "Freya is the Lady of the Lake," he explained, confident that they would all know what that meant.

Apparently, they did; but then, he'd told many stories of Camelot and Albion. Jack took her hand and kissed it, winking at her flirtatiously, causing Ianto to roll his eyes in fond exasperation; Anwyn actually attempted a curtsy that went just a bit wrong; and the Doctor nodded and smiled, looking very happy at seeing her there. The twins were curious; Rowena actually got close enough to tug on her dress and ask what lake she was Lady of, making Freya laugh.

After the introductions, Freya turned back to Emrys…Merlin really, now. It was more and more obvious that the man who was Emrys was beginning to subsume into the memories and personality of Merlin, and Ianto wasn't certain he cared for the ramifications of it. People weren't meant to recall their past lives in this way, and he was afraid that Emrys might lose himself in the past.

"I'm sorry," she said, "I tried to protect Avalon, but over the centuries the magic of the island has faded so badly…"

"I should have expected it," Merlin admitted. "It's not your fault…it's mine for using my magic and condemning Arthur to a half-death, his soul trapped within himself."

"You were just trying to save him from the indignities he would have suffered after death," the Lady answered.

"It didn't matter; he was dead. His soul should have moved on. And now, someone has apparently found him."

"It was you," the Doctor interrupted, pointing at Freya. "You reawakened Emrys' buried memories of Merlin."

She nodded. "When the magic began to fade, I did my best to protect Avalon, knowing that the one person Merlin treasures more than anyone was sleeping there, but after a while even I became too weak. I couldn't stop interlopers from setting foot on Avalon, so the next best thing I could do was try to warn Merlin. It was fairly simple to do, since the magic that was left wanted to do that anyway, it just didn't know how to do it. I…pushed it along."

_"Freya can aid in your quest for Avalon,"_ the Water Dragon replied.

"I don't think she needs to," Ianto said. "I think Merlin might be able to do that himself now."

The Doctor was shaking his head. "I can understand why you did what you did, but no one should have all those memories returning. We don't know how Emrys is going to be able to deal with being two different people."

"You're saying they're both in there now?" Jack demanded. He didn't look happy.

"We are," Emrys/Merlin answered. "It's…confusing, and I don't like it."

"Your mind could burn out," the Doctor argued. "It would be different if you were actually born with access to the memories, but this…"

"It was necessary," Freya insisted. "No one can be allowed to take away the body of the Once and Future King."

_"Arthur and Merlin are destined to bring magic back to the world,"_ the Water Dragon said. _"This is their destiny."_

"Destiny is all well and good," Ianto said, "and Jack and I would know all about that, but is it worth it if you're hurting one part of that destiny?" He wasn't happy, and he could tell the others weren't either. Emrys was an innocent human, who should have been living his own life and not been dragged into something that he simply wasn't prepared for. The dragon could see the dichotomy within the young man easily; he was still Emrys, and yet the memories he'd regained were weighing him down. All that knowledge, infringing on Emrys' own mind, fighting for room among the myriad things he'd learned throughout his life…

Emrys – no, Merlin – was frowning. "I thought Arthur and I did that back when we were still alive?"

"You did," Freya answered, "but there's still a destiny awaiting you."

"You could have asked him," Jack said. "You could have given him the choice of taking on these memories and then trying to save a corpse that's been dead for over twenty-five hundred years!"

"That's a very succinct way of putting it," Ianto said dryly. It was very simplistic, but true. How would having all those memories in his head affect Emrys? And who would he actually be…Emrys, or Merlin?

"And what if I don't want this destiny?" Emrys – and it really was Emrys this time – challenged, standing straight and looking Freya in the eye.

The Lady of the Lake sighed. "There really isn't much choice now. I'm sorry, but I did the only thing I could, knowing that I had to save my friend's lover from being desecrated. Look within yourself, and you would see he would have done anything to prevent that…and had already."

"But he trapped Arthur's soul from moving on," Ianto argued. Yes, he could understand Merlin's motivation, all those years ago; he would do anything to protect Jack from that sort of fate. But there had to have been any number of ways to do the same thing without wrapping the King's body in so much magic it would keep his soul from travelling on its way…

_"The King's soul will continue to its destined home once his body is saved," _the Water Dragon said, her usual laughter gone in the face of just how serious things had gone.

"But what about Emrys?" Anwyn asked, concerned. "Will he return to normal?"

"I don't know," Freya admitted. "But I do know this…both Merlin and Arthur must be together in order to fulfill their destiny. Yes, I know Emrys didn't choose this, but it needs to be done."

"I hate to say they're right," the Doctor said. "Even though we're talking about someone long dead, this _is_ King Arthur we're talking about. Can you imagine what would happen if someone did get their hands on him? What would happen once it got out that the true King Arthur had been found? There are enough legends about him as it is; anyone could use one of those for their own benefit."

Of course, the Doctor was right. Someone who managed to get a hold of the Once and Future King could use that knowledge to gain a great deal of power. They could even pretend to _be_ Arthur, and make claims against the current government…

And what about the magic that protected the King's body? Would someone be able to use that, as well? Would someone even know how, in this day and age?

What about Excalibur?

Ianto asked just that question.

"Excalibur was not laid to rest with the King," Freya answered. "It is protected, for the time when it will be needed."

"Do you know if the King's body is still on Avalon?" the Doctor asked.

"I don't," she admitted. "I only know the island is visible to everyone now, and that interlopers have set up a camp on it. I have no idea what they plan."

"It could be a simple land grab," Jack pointed out, "but I think we can't take that chance. We should go to Avalon and check it out."


	13. The Call of the Last - Chapter Five

The Call of the Last - Chapter Five

Author: Milady Dragon

Disclaimer: Not mine, I don't own a thing

Author's note: Welcome once again! Thanks to everyone reading and reviewing and such, I appreciate you! On with the story!

* * *

**_14 April 3257 (Earth Standard Time)_**

Emrys could feel Merlin in his head, and he didn't really much like it.

And it wasn't so much the memories, although that had a lot to do with it. No, it was the _emotions_ that went along with Merlin's life, and just how strong they were.

Especially those having to do with Arthur.

The Doctor had claimed that Arthur and Merlin had been lovers, despite what the legends said about Guinevere and Lancelot and betrayal. But Emrys felt it was more than that; the very magic that was Merlin, had bound them in ways that couldn't be described, and the feelings were more powerful than anything he'd ever experienced in his own life. Merlin and Arthur had been _meant_ for each other, that much was obvious.

Emrys didn't really know what to think about all that destiny bollocks, but it had really hit home when Freya had shown up. They all honestly believed in it; but more importantly, _Merlin_ believed it. Although the memories had come fast and furious and he couldn't catch everything, it seemed as if destiny had been a very large part of Merlin's existence. That exposure to destiny was making such things easier for Emrys to deal with, only he had the distinct impression that it wasn't actually _him_ doing the accepting.

He wanted nothing more than to go home, and enjoy the quiet weekend he'd been looking forward to when Dorian had told him he'd have it off. That had only been mere hours ago, and yet it seemed like a lifetime…

Having someone else in his head, Emrys reflected, as he watched the ground pass beneath them, was almost like having a split personality he thought. There was Emrys…and then there was Merlin, and they both were different despite being part of the same person. He glanced over at Jack Harkness, who was piloting the flitter toward what was the island of Avalon, and wondered if it was too late to ask to be taken back to New Cardiff.

Oh, who was he kidding?

He was stuck in this, and had been the moment he'd awakened in the middle of the night, nearly a month ago, after a spectacular dream of blood and fire that had left him unable to sleep.

It made him wonder if Arthur's body was even on Avalon, after so long.

A flash of green passed across his field of vision, and he followed the dragon as he flew beside them. Seeing him brought more thoughts and memories Emrys could attribute to Merlin; about being a Dragonlord, and about Kilgharrah, and how the dragon had convinced everyone that he was the last one. Of course, that had been his plan all along, to make Uther think that he'd killed all the dragons in order to save his people from the obsessed King. Emrys could see it, through the filter of Merlin's memories, and it made sense. Although it didn't explain Aithusa, but Emrys was certain that Jones could, if asked.

It was quiet in the flitter's cockpit. Anwyn and the Doctor were in the rear seat, and while Emrys wanted to ask questions about what was happening to him, he was afraid of what he'd be told. He'd heard enough back in the valley, and it had scared him. He could totally lose himself in this new person who was taking up residence in his head, but somehow Emrys didn't think that was the worst that could happen.

There was also the magic.

He could feel it now, at the back of his head, sparking and crackling and wanting to be free. Of everything that had occurred, suddenly having this power frightened Emrys the most. Not even Merlin's personality taking over the few times it had hadn't been as bad. This…this was horrible, and yet he could tell that Merlin himself had lived with the magic his entire life. It had been natural to him.

That was beyond Emrys' comprehension, even with Merlin's help.

"And just why couldn't we have taken your TARDIS, Doctor?" Harkness asked, bringing Emrys back into the world outside his own head.

"TARDIS?" Emrys asked, confused. But then, confusion seemed to be his natural state anymore.

"My time machine," the Doctor explained. "And I don't have her here with me. She…dropped me off."

"How can your time machine just drop you off?" Emrys demanded.

"Ah, but she isn't just a machine!" the Doctor enthused. "She's got quite a mind of her own." He leaned forward. "And I actually got to talk to her face-to-face!"

"What?" Harkness asked incredulously.

The Doctor launched into a tale in which Emrys only understood every other word, but he could tell just how amazed Harkness was by it. By the end, the sadness between the two was so strong it could have been cut with Excalibur, and Harkness was wishing he'd been there.

"The TARDIS is a great lady," he said morosely. "I'm grateful to her for what she did to me. It allowed me to meet Ianto and to have a wonderful family."

Emrys must have let his curiosity show, because Harkness explained, "I was exposed to the time vortex a very long time ago, through the TARDIS and a remarkable young woman named Rose Tyler. They made me as near immortal as a person can get."

Suddenly something the Doctor had said earlier in the day hit Emrys, and he turned to look at the Time Lord. "That was what you meant," he realized. "When you were talking about my name meaning 'immortal'."

"It was," the Doctor said. "Jack is the immortal I mentioned in that conversation." The same look of sadness crossed his mobile features as it had in the coffee shop. "And I hope one day he forgives me for the pain I caused him because of it."

Harkness didn't say anything, but Emrys could see the conflict on his face as he said, "Yeah, maybe someday. After all, as I said…everything that happened led me here, to my mate and my family."

"And I wouldn't be here," Anwyn put in, "which would be a downright shame."

The Doctor laughed. "It seems she's inherited your humility as well as your looks, Jack."

"Along with her Tad's intelligence," Harkness said proudly. "There's a reason I called her my 'Little Terror' when she was a child."

"If I couldn't reason my way out of something," Anwyn said, "then I'd just turn on the Harkness charm."

"But that didn't always work,' Harkness went on, "and so she'd have to rely on the sheer toughness she also got from Ianto."

"Did you?" There was a high-pitched, whirring sound, and Emrys turned in his seat to see the Doctor pointing a silver tube at Anwyn, who was looking at him as if he were slightly insane. "Hmm…yep, a healthy dose of dragon genes…as well as just a touch of the vortex…hmm…" he looked surprised at something the device told him, and then grinned. "Just how old are you anyway? I can't get an accurate reading."

Anwyn huffed. "Didn't anyone ever teach you that asking a ladies' age was impolite?"

The puppy dog look on the Doctor's face made Emrys want to laugh.

It obviously wore Anwyn down, because she sighed and shook her head, smiling. "I'll be 610 in October."

Emrys felt his jaw drop. "You're immortal too?" Was he surrounded by them?

She shook her head. "Nope, just very long-lived…which could be a really long time, if I don't happen to get myself killed. I'm not like Dad; I won't resurrect if I die. I'm like Tad; there are ways to kill me, it's just really hard to do."

"But you don't have a dragon-form?" the Doctor asked, looking confused.

Anwyn's expression saddened. "No, I don't."

"I would think you would, just from Ianto's genetics…although I have to say, how he and Jack are compatible to have children I don't know…"

"It was a surprise to us, too," Harkness admitted. "But we're glad it happened. And the twins are our miracle."

It suddenly hit Emrys; what Anwyn had said in his kitchen, as he'd been talking about his work… "How is male pregnancy possible? The genetic blueprint of it was only just created about five years ago, and there've only been a few human trials!"

Harkness shrugged. "It's fairly common when I'm from." At Emrys' obviously confused look, he clarified his statement with, "I'm from the future."

"And the Great Dragons gave Tad the ability to carry the twins," Anwyn added.

"The first of the Star Dragons," the Doctor mused.

"And what do you know about it?" Harkness asked. "We only heard that term when the girls were born."

"As I said…I looked along your timeline. Not far, but enough to know how important it was that you and Ianto were together."

Emrys could swear the Doctor was hedging a bit, and judging from the look on Harkness' face, the man thought so as well. He wanted to know what it was that the Time Lord _wasn't_ saying, because he suspected it was important…

But he was distracted by the magic. It was weaker than what it had once been, but Emrys could sense it just nibbling at the back of his mind, trying to catch his attention.

Merlin slid smoothly into control, leaving Emrys put out as the memories within him bubbled up and told him what the reincarnated Sorcerer was about to announce. "Avalon is just ahead."

It had gone dark during their trip, and the area they travelled over was mostly suburban sprawl, homes and buildings of flats where he knew trees and rivers used to be. What Harkness had said back in the valley was true: empty land was quickly becoming more and more rare, and Emrys could feel Merlin's anger at the destruction of the country that he'd known so well. He could see in his minds' eye the forests, and hills, and the glorious white walls of Camelot as the morning sun caught on its battlements. Everything was gone and dead, and there would be no resurrecting it.

The flitter slowed, and in the light from below Emrys could see the dragon circling just under the flitter, and he knew Jones was looking for a place to land. Craning his neck he could make out a blob of darkness beyond the buildings, and he knew without truly seeing it that it was the Lake of Avalon.

Merlin remembered the times he'd come there. He remembered laying Freya to rest, and her becoming the Lady of the Lake. This was also where he'd thrown Excalibur twice; once to protect it, and the second time when Arthur had died. No one should have that sort of powerful weapon, and he'd trusted Freya to look after it.

He remembered vividly the day he'd brought Arthur there, and the pain of that last time they'd been together sliced through Emrys and Merlin both like Excalibur itself. Merlin had used his power to raise a small island in the centre of the lake, and that was where he'd interred his lover, relying on the magic of Avalon to protect him always. It hadn't worked out that way, but then Merlin hadn't counted on magic fading so badly. He and Arthur had fought to bring the Old Ways back, and Merlin had been certain that magic would last for eternity.

He'd been so very wrong.

There was a light in the centre of the lake; an unnatural light, and Emrys knew that it must be from whoever had claimed the land once the magic had faded enough to find it. It was on the island cairn he'd brought into being, and his anger grew stronger, furious that someone had dared to disturb his lover and King's eternal rest.

But then, if this hadn't happened Merlin would never have known that he'd trapped Arthur's soul there as well.

It was time Arthur was set free.

"Looks like Ianto's found us a place to set down," Harkness said, and the flitter banked toward a small clearing near the lake's edge. "I wonder what people thought was here before…you know, before the magic failed."

"It was like a perception filter," the Doctor answered. "Like when Ddraig Llyn was hidden from the Master…and when you and Ianto left for Hubworld. People would just overlook it. Only it was also powerful enough to bamboozle technology as well."

"I bet the neighbours got a rude awakening the day they realized there was a lake in their back gardens," Anwyn observed.

Harkness piloted the flitter skilfully toward where the dragon was waiting. "I hate to say this," he said, as the vehicle came in for a landing, "but I really doubt the King is here anymore. I mean, what would be the point of keeping him here, if you were going to use the cachet of having the Once and Future King in your possession, even if he was dead?"

Merlin agreed, as did Emrys. What Harkness said made sense; Arthur's body was too important to have been left in its cairn. The anger threatened to overwhelm him, but he tamped it down, needing to act and not react.

"I think you're right," the Doctor answered, opening the rear compartment the moment the flitter touched ground. "But hopefully we'll be able to get an idea of who might have him."

They got out of the flitter, and Jones met them – now in human form, which had surprised the Merlin part of him a bit more than the Emrys part, and Emrys had been completely shocked that dragons actually did exist. Merlin wanted to ask about it, but Emrys kept them on track. "So," he said, "how are we going to get out there?"

"I can help with that."

They all turned to regard Freya, who had somehow appeared on the lakeshore with them. She made a motion, and a boat appeared, bumping against a small rock that poked up from the water like a nature-made dock.

Emrys felt an irrational wave of dislike toward her, and it clashed with Merlin's fondness for the Lady of the Lake. It had been her appearance that had raked up the mass of Merlin's memories that Emrys was having trouble reconciling, and that brought Merlin himself to the fore. Emrys could almost lie to himself that this was actually happening before that moment when Merlin had come out from the darkness within his mind to greet her back at the valley.

"I haven't been in an actual boat in years," Harkness grinned. He reached out, took Freya's hand in his, and then kissed the back of it. "Thanks for the lift, beautiful."

Even in the semi-darkness around them, it was obvious that Freya blushed. "It was my pleasure."

"Jack," Jones said, rolling his eyes.

"It's good to know some things don't change," the Doctor replied, smirking.

"Honestly, you two," Harkness snorted, releasing Freya's hand. "I was just being grateful."

Emrys got the distinct impression that there was a back story there, but didn't press for details.

"We should get going," Jones said. "Jack and I can pull our Torchwood credentials if it gets dicey, but a quiet reconnaissance is the best way to go."

"I cannot get close to the cairn," Freya said, apologetically. "I don't know why, only that something keeps me away…"

"Magic?" the Doctor asked.

The Lady of the Lake considered the question. "If it is, it's different from anything I've ever felt before."

"Some sort of technology then," Anwyn suggested.

"That would make sense," Harkness agreed. "Whoever is out there, they're trying to protect their investment. Making sure no one can actually set foot on that island would be a top priority."

"Then I might be able to do something about that." The Doctor twirled the metal tube he'd used on Anwyn in his long fingers. "If I can get close enough."

"Wait," Harkness said, stopping the forward movement toward the boat. "Maybe Ianto and I should run an aerial reconnaissance first, just to see what we're getting into. We can fly in, take a look, and then come back."

"I think that's a good idea," Jones answered. "We may not even have to set foot on that island if we don't have to."

Emrys wanted to argue, but he couldn't. He really wanted to be the one to go out to Arthur's cairn, to discover what had happened to Merlin's lover…his lover. The Merlin part of him was muddying up the Emrys part of him, and memories of hot skin and soft touches echoed across his nerve endings as if a ghost were stroking them lightly.

Not that he believed in ghosts…although, he hadn't believed in dragons or magic, either. Not until the Doctor had shown up and forced him to summon both.

The need to rescue Arthur crested over him like a tsunami, but he would have to be patient.


	14. The Call of the Last - Chapter Six

The Call of the Last - Chapter Six

Author: Milady Dragon

Disclaimer: I don't own it, much to my chagrin.

Author's note: Here we go, another chapter. I'm going to try to speed up posting since there are only three more chapters after this one. And then on to Series Two!

* * *

**_14 April 3257 (Earth Standard Time)_**

Ianto wasn't certain letting Emrys anywhere near the island would be such a good idea.

He was worried about the man. It was becoming more and more obvious that Emrys was losing himself to the Merlin side of him, and while the dragon recognized the urgency of their mission he didn't want someone to be destroyed over it. It was a no-win scenario, and Ianto didn't care for them one little bit.

So, when Jack suggested that they take a look from the air first, Ianto practically jumped at the idea. It made sense, and it would keep Emrys from getting more lost than he already was…or, at least, not lost so quickly. He glanced over at the Lady of the Lake, and while he'd long been taught to respect her and her power, he couldn't help but be mad at her for dragging an innocent into this. Perhaps she felt she didn't have a choice, but that didn't excuse the fact that Emrys Gryffudd was vanishing before their eyes, being subsumed by memories he should never have had.

Emrys didn't look happy at Jack's idea, but Ianto didn't much care. Was it Merlin wanting to go over to the island so badly, or Emrys himself? Were they even different personalities anymore?

"Try to see what sort of generator they're using for the energy shield," the Doctor suggested. "If I know ahead of time, it'll be easier to get past it if we need to."

"Be careful," Anwyn said, hugging them both. "Don't do anything stupid."

"Oh, ye of little faith," Jack scoffed. "Since when haven't we been careful?"

"Should I remind you both of the Nargeth-Storan conflict?"

Ianto winced. That hadn't been one of his or Jack's finest hours, and it was only because of Anwyn that they'd gotten out relatively unscathed. "This isn't the middle of a war zone," the dragon answered. "And we can fly high enough not to draw attention to ourselves." His dragon eyesight would come in handy at seeing details on the ground.

"Let's get this show on the road," Jack urged, clapping his hands together. "The sooner we're in the air, the sooner we're back. Anwyn, you still have those flight goggles?"

"They're in the flitter." She went to fetch them, returning in moments and handing them over.

Jack slid them on over his eyes as Ianto triggered his transformation. The dragon knelt slightly in order to let Jack climb on. "It's been a while since we've flown like this," he rumbled as Jack got settled. The dragon found himself feeling disappointed that his mate could not change shape beyond the valley.

Familiar fingers stroked the scales of his neck. "It doesn't feel quite right anymore, does it?"

"No, it doesn't," the dragon agreed.

With those words, he launched himself upward, wings beating a strong tattoo against the pull of gravity as they rose higher. Jack's arms were wrapped around his neck, warm breath tickling against his scales, as they arched toward the well-lit tiny island.

The dragon got a better look at Arthur's cairn as they flew closer. It was about the size of the village green back in Ddraig Llyn, longer than it was wide, with a nearly-perfect ring of ancient oaks growing at its centre. Whoever had found the island had set up four powerful arc lights, one on each corner of the island, aiming toward that ring of trees.

He would bet anything that this was where Arthur's final resting place had been. Such a circle would have been important in the Old Religion, and the dragon could practically feel the magic radiating from it.

Two thumps on his right shoulder had the dragon turning in the direction Jack was indicating, falling back into their old signal routine. His mate must have seen something…ah, yes.

A tent had been set up not far from the grove. A man was standing outside the tent, and even though they were too far up for most people to make it out, the dragon could see he was talking into some sort of comm.

He rode the air currents past the area, and then turned back, just in time to see two more people leaving the grove. If the dragon was any judge, he could have sworn one of them was wearing druids' robes…

Another thump on his right shoulder had the dragon twisting his head in the direction Jack wanted him to look toward. He could see a boat tied up, and it had to be the way on and off the island. It was a powerboat of some kind, with what looked like a lower deck that would have been perfect to smuggle things on – and off – the island without anyone noticing.

The dragon began a pass over the circle of trees. The magic was even stronger as they crossed the grove, and as he looked down he could see what looked like a plinth in the centre of the circle.

Arthur's resting place.

Yes, as they'd suspected, the King's body was gone.

Someone had set up some equipment in the circle, although it was too far away for the dragon to make out what it was. There also appeared to be a makeshift altar as well which, coupled with what had looked like druids' clothing on that one person, was leading the dragon to some conclusions he wasn't quite sure he liked.

They'd been certain that, whoever had come there was going to use King Arthur's body for some sort of power grab. But, if there were druids involved…the dragon hadn't even known that druids still existed, what with magic fading from the world.

Another thump, this one to his left shoulder, had him passing down the western edge of the island. There was another structure there, this one a bit more permanent, and the dragon knew this must have been where the generator was being kept. There was some sort of logo on the shed; what looked like a stylized "G" made up of…the dragon squinted, guessing it was some sort of beaded strand.

Feeling like they'd seen all they needed to, he turned back toward the shore, where he could see their companions awaiting them. Jack leaned farther down against his neck, and the dragon luxuriated in the presence of his mate against him. Yes, he'd gotten used to Jack being able to fly with him, but a part of him did miss this closeness.

They landed easily, and Jack slid from his perch. The dragon missed him immediately.

"We were right," Jack reported, removing the goggles he'd worn. "The King's body is gone." He went on to detail what they'd seen.

"I'm not sure what the equipment is for," Ianto added, once back in his human form. "They have it set up around an altar that's obviously being used for druid worship."

Emrys was frowning…no, it was Merlin, having taken control of the shared body. "I don't understand. Why would there be druids involved? Are there even druid left in the world?"

The Doctor shrugged. "There's always someone out there willing to worship anything that takes their fancy."

"I also saw someone in druids' robes," Ianto said.

"Ianto," Jack said, "did you happen to see the logo on the generator shed?"

"I did. I didn't recognize it, though. It was the letter "G" made up from beaded lines of some sort…" He faded out as he saw the expression on Emrys' face go from confusion to anger. "Do you know it?" He felt like it was a silly question, but still had to ask.

Emrys nodded, his eyes narrowing. "It's the logo for GenCorp. The beads are actually a double-helix."

Jack looked thoughtful. "I've heard of it…they do research into theoretical applications of forced mutations on the human genome, right?"

The Doctor snapped his fingers. "They were responsible for the male pregnancy gene!" He grinned, then frowned. "But what would they be doing with King Arthur?"

"Could they be thinking of cloning him?" Anwyn asked.

Emrys was chewing his thumbnail. "No. We don't do cloning –"

"You work for GenCorp?" the Doctor demanded.

Emrys nodded. "I'm a theoretical geneticist."

"It can't be coincidence." The Time Lord began to pace. "You working for the same company that's taken King Arthur's body…"

"All I know is," Emrys growled, "we can't leave Arthur in their hands."

"Emrys is right," Ianto said. "We need to rescue the King, and make certain his resting place is never found again."

"Would you keep him in Ddraig Llyn?" Freya inquired. "That is the only safe place anymore…at least until magic is restored to the Earth."

There was that comment again…about magic returning. Ianto didn't know how that would happen, but he did recall that it would be both Merlin and Arthur doing it. They would have to find a way to release Arthur's soul before that could occur.

And there was also Emrys to consider.

Ianto didn't think that Emrys would have any sort of choice, just as the young man hadn't up to that point. With Merlin driving him, Emrys would do what was needed in order to save Arthur and bring magic back.

Both he and Jack had more than their fair share of being at the mercy of destiny, and they both had willingly accepted it, since it meant they were getting what they'd actually wanted in the end. But Emrys…this wasn't what he wanted. He had a life, a job, and friends and family who cared for him. This destiny wasn't going to pay off for him in the end, like it had for Ianto and his own family. No, in the end Emrys would lose himself completely to Merlin's life, and that wasn't fair.

Of course, life wasn't fair. But this was worse.

A part of him wanted to tell them all to let it go, that Arthur was dead and that someone having his corpse wasn't a big deal. But he knew just how dangerous even a deceased legend could be. In the right – or wrong – hands, King Arthur's body could be priceless.

"I think a visit to GenCorp is in order," the Doctor said. He sounded angry.

* * *

The dragon landed in the plaza outside GenCorp, the flitter setting down beside him.

Jack had wanted to call in Torchwood Central to help, but the Doctor had rejected the idea, not wanting too many people to know about King Arthur. That had almost started a row between the two, Jack accusing the Doctor of not being able to get past what Torchwood had done in the past. But the Time Lord had disagreed, saying he knew exactly what good Torchwood was responsible for; it was just that the more people who knew about Arthur, the better chance it would get out into the general population that King Arthur Pendragon was real. It could also lead to Emrys himself being persecuted, which was when Ianto had sided with the Doctor, not wanting to cause Emrys any more problems than the poor man was already suffering.

Jack had pouted, but he had eventually agreed.

The GenCorp headquarters was in a section of New Cardiff that had been called Penarth when the city had been moved centuries ago, and yet it had no resemblance to that section of Old Cardiff at all. It was a disconnect that forcibly reminded him just how long he'd lived, and how much he'd missed when he and Jack had been off-world.

It also brought to mind those friends he'd lost, and who were resting under the water that had inundated the old Hub. Although if he was correct at least one soul had somehow moved on…

"What's security like inside?" Jack asked Emrys.

"Card and DNA readers, along with cameras and other sensors," the man practically growled. Ianto could see him practically vibrating in rage, and that Merlin had almost completely taken over in his anger over what they were most likely doing to the body of his former lover.

Ianto could understand it. He felt the same way whenever someone had hurt or killed Jack; that need to do _something_, to avenge the injuries done to the person he loved more than anything. He'd even done it, and that had been one of the reasons the Doctor had been against him and Jack for so long.

But he wasn't about to apologize for killing the Master. And it was a good thing that the Doctor wasn't expecting him to, because he would be very disappointed.

"I can handle them," the Doctor assured them, twirling his sonic screwdriver between nimble fingers.

"As can I." The voice was Emrys', but Ianto knew the words were Merlin's.

Before anyone could stop him, Merlin began to stride toward the entrance, and magic began to crackle around him.

Jack cursed, and Ianto couldn't blame him, and yet at the same time he could completely sympathize with Merlin and his need to go to Arthur. "We need a plan," he called out, hoping to stop the enraged man from storming the building without them.

"I have a plan," Merlin shouted over his shoulder. "It's to go in there and destroy stuff until I find Arthur."

"I can't fault him," Jack muttered as they ran to catch up. "I'd be doing the same thing if it was you or one of the kids."

"I think he's out-storming the Oncoming Storm!" the Doctor exclaimed.

"Don't worry Doc," Jack said cheerfully, "your reputation is still intact."

They'd caught up with Merlin just as the sorcerer raised a hand and blasted the door open.

"Well, they know we're here," Anwyn commented, drawing her blaster.

Ianto had to agree as they followed Merlin into the building.


	15. The Call of the Last - Chapter Seven

The Call of the Last - Chapter Seven

Author: Milady Dragon

Disclaimer: I don't own it...sorry.

Author's note: Welcome back! Yes I actually posted quickly for once! This story is almost over, so I hope you all enjoy it. Thanks for reading!

* * *

**_14 April 3257 (Earth Standard Time)_**

Emrys found himself being pushed to the side as Merlin took control.

He wanted to fight it, but at the same time he could feel the rage and fear running through the sorcerer's personality, and he knew he had no chance. Instead, he let Merlin take the lead and simply gave him what information he needed to find his way through GenCorp's headquarters.

The magic was all around him, tingling in his head and hands and heart. It was as if, once Merlin had taken over, whatever connection he may have had to the ancient magic of the planet had opened like a floodgate, and Merlin was using it however he pleased. The sheer power he was wielding frightened Emrys, but Merlin felt that and soothed him as best he could.

He was aware though that the magic wasn't nearly as strong as it once had been. Merlin could sense the difference, and was trying to compensate as he destroyed the security cameras and other monitoring devices when Emrys pointed them out. At this rate Merlin would tire, but nothing was going to stop him from getting to his lover.

The others were supporting him though, and Emrys managed to get that through to Merlin as they strode through the foyer and to the lift, taking out the security guard on the way. He stopped at the doors of the lift, and that gave the others time to catch up.

"We need a plan," Jones reiterated, standing to one side as the Doctor took the other, waving his silver tube over the door's controls. "I know you're very powerful right now, but we don't have any idea where they could be holding the King, and to go off half-cocked isn't going to find him any faster." He leaned forward, practically whispering in Merlin's ear. "I know how you feel. I would be needing to do anything to save my family. But running around without a goal isn't the way to go about it, and could get us into more trouble than it's worth."

Merlin seemed to be listening, and Emrys was glad. "You're right," he sighed. "But how are we going to find Arthur in all this?"

"We should be asking Emrys that," Harkness suggested. "He's worked in this building for years. If there's anywhere they might keep a body preserved, it would be him to know that."

Merlin hadn't thought of that. Emrys tried to come up with an internal schematic of the building even as the lift doors opened with a small 'ping'. "There are testing facilities on the tenth floor," he considered. "The labs are on twelve."

"Those are too public," Harkness said. "Anyone could have come across the King if he was in one of those places, and I doubt whoever took him would want that to happen."

"Is there anywhere in the building where there's a magical signature?" Jones asked. "There were druids on the island; it makes sense that there would be druids here as well, and that they'd be in charge of keeping the King's body from prying eyes. Also, the magic that bound Arthur is still pretty active, and you should be able to sense that."

Merlin cursed himself for not thinking of that, and it was Emrys' turn to soothe him. He took a deep breath, and let Merlin back in charge; the sorcerer closed his eyes, reaching out with his magical senses to see if he could 'feel' Arthur in the building.

He was surprised to find weak magical wards all throughout the structure. He said as much.

"I thought magic was supposed to be fading?' Anwyn said, almost accusingly.

"It is," Merlin answered. "These wards really aren't doing them much good. They're very easy to break."

"So, it's a good guess they know we're here?" Harkness asked.

"I would say so," Merlin admitted.

"Then we'd best be ready." The man was holding what looked like an old-fashioned projectile weapon, while Anwyn readied her blaster and Jones pulled yet another weapon from his belt, this one Emrys couldn't identify. The Doctor didn't look impressed by the weaponry, instead content to hold onto his silver device.

As he was trying to find Arthur, his companions bundled him into the lift, the Doctor standing by the controls. Emrys felt fidgety and odd, as magic flooded his body. He was in over his head, and he knew it; but there wasn't a thing he could do. He wasn't his own person any longer, and he couldn't help the stab of anger at what had happened to him.

The problem was, Merlin completely sympathized. His thoughts were full of apology and sadness, not liking what was going on any more than Emrys was. And yet, his main driving focus was on finding Arthur, on protecting him from whatever was going on. Emrys could feel his determination and could understand it.

Merlin also agreed with Emrys that his working for GenCorp wasn't a coincidence.

While he didn't pretend to know anything about destiny, Emrys knew that he was meant to be there, at that particular time. That his working at the same company that had found Arthur's resting place was something that would have happened no matter what.

Emrys had gone into theoretical genetics because he'd wanted to help people by trying to improve the human genome in ways that would make the quality of life better. Creating ways to make humanity better had been a dream of his. He'd been impressed with what GenCorp was doing in that area, and had jumped at the chance to obtain a job there.

He'd been in on so many projects, most of them going on to help the human race reach its potential. The current project, Project Knight, had been one of those, and Emrys had revelled in the genetic 'magic' that he and his team had been able to accomplish. Their tweaks had improved stamina, strength, and agility and would give humans advantages in off-world exploration. Emrys was proud of the work he'd done.

He couldn't figure out what they would want with Arthur's body. They only worked with theoretical gene strands, not with actual DNA. GenCorp wouldn't be gaining anything by taking the King's corpse…at least no benefit that he could see.

"Emrys?"

Jones' voice broke him from his thoughts. He shook himself and looked at the dragon, who had a concerned expression on his human face. "I'm fine," he answered, realizing that while he'd been lost in thought, Merlin must have taken control, and the lift was heading upward, judging from the indicator panel.

"Merlin says he's getting something from the upper floors," Jones said.

"That makes a change," the Doctor commented flippantly. "Usually the bad guys hang out in a damp, musty basement or stinking sewer."

Jones laughed. "I lost track of how many pairs of shoes I ruined in the sewers of Old Cardiff."

"Not to mention the excuses you had to come up with to explain to the dry cleaners why your suits smelled like raw sewage," Harkness added.

"Your coat suffered just as badly," Jones snarked, rolling his eyes.

"Makes me glad I wasn't born back then," Anwyn replied. "I have an aversion to sewers. They mess with my style."

"She gets that from you," Jones teased.

"Damn right she does," Harkness said proudly.

Emrys wondered how they could banter like that, not knowing what they were going to find. Merlin did, though; he'd seen it in the knights before they went into battle, joking and laughing in order to dispel their nerves.

The lift passed the testing areas and the labs, still heading upward. Emrys tried to pay attention to what Merlin was feeling; it was weird, the hum of the magic against his skin, and he didn't think he would ever get used to it.

To Merlin though, it was Emrys' life that was so strange. What Emrys took for granted Merlin saw as a miracle, or magic. Where Merlin understood dragons and spells, Emrys knew science and technology. It was a dichotomy that could very well tear them apart.

"It's here," Merlin said. "Arthur is here."

The Doctor aimed his device at the control panel, and the lift came to a halt on the thirtieth floor…two down from the roof.

"Any idea what's on this floor?" Harkness asked.

Emrys considered. "Not really, I've never been up here. I think it's more offices, only for upper management."

"All right." He straightened, and the Merlin part of Emrys thought he closely resembled a battlefield commander. "Since we don't know what's on this floor, Ianto and I are going first. Anwyn," he turned to his daughter, "Emrys is your responsibility."

"I can take care of myself!" Emrys – no, it was Merlin – exclaimed hotly.

"Yes, you're powerful," Harkness answered. "But you also need someone to watch your back, and I trust Anwyn to do it. We're going to rely on you to counter anything magical we run into. Doctor," now his eyes were on the Time Lord, "you're with Ianto and me, but keep behind us. I'd hate to have you regenerate just when I'm beginning to like you again."

One side of the Doctor's mouth quirked upward. "Of course, I want to have the chance to convince you to like me once more."

"Actually, you should worry more about Ianto than me."

"Ah, but I have a plan! If I can get back into your good graces, then you can convince Ianto." He winked, slyly.

Jones smirked. "Jack can convince me in a lot of different ways…."

"Ew!" Anwyn gagged. "My parents do _not_ have sex!"

"Keep telling yourself that, sweetheart," Harkness teased.

"Are you lot always like this when you're about to face the unknown?" Emrys asked, feeling a bit left out of the banter.

"Nah," Harkness said. "Sometimes we're worse." He checked his weapon, then nodded toward the dragon. "Are we ready?"

Jones returned the nod, as did the Doctor. Anwyn also checked her own gun, positioning herself close to Emrys. He felt pitifully glad of her company, even as he was bristling a bit over the need for protection…or was that Merlin feeling that way, and Emrys couldn't tell the difference any longer?

"Open the door, Doc," Harkness ordered. He and Jones stood at the door, their weapons ready.

The Doctor waved his device over the indicator panel, and the doors slid open, revealing a large, hospital-like space, with four rows of empty beds that took up three quarters of the room. What looked like an operating theatre was on one end, and an office was on the other.

It wasn't at all what Emrys had been expecting.

Yes, he knew they ran experiments and such onsite, but he had no idea why GenCorp would need an actual medical wing. When their projects were approved for human trials, those were always done at another location, out of the city, and under government supervision. There was no reason for this to be here.

Jones and Harkness moved as one, fanning out slightly as they stepped into the room. The Doctor followed, keeping close as he'd agreed. Emrys went after, Anwyn at his side.

They weren't alone.

A man stepped out from inside the surgical area, wearing what Emrys now knew were druids' robes. It wouldn't have been so bad if he hadn't known the man, but his jaw dropped as it registered who was standing in front of them.

It was his boss, Dorian Edstrom.

But a memory forced itself into his mind, one of a battle lost in the mists of time.

Of seeing King Arthur taking a mortal blow, and delivering one in return.

Merlin knew who this was.

_Mordred._

He pressed his lips closed, not wanting to give away the fact that he knew the man standing there was their ancient enemy, the druid boy Mordred, all grown up and reincarnated into this new form. Emrys didn't know why he hadn't recognized Dorian as Mordred before this, because of the dreams he'd had of that final battle. They were engraved on his consciousness as if it were stone.

He wondered if Dorian knew who he'd once been. If not, his being there was worse than a coincidence.

"Emrys," Dorian sounded surprised. "I thought you'd be home for the weekend by now. And who are your friends?"

He was snapped out of his shock by the question. But before he could answer, both Harkness and Jones had stepped forward, their weapons pointing at Dorian. "Torchwood," Harkness barked. "Please toss any and all weapons to the floor and kneel with your hands behind your head."

Dorian actually smirked. "I don't think you have jurisdiction here, Torchwood." He raised a hand, pointing it directly at Harkness.

Merlin beat him to the punch, raising his own hand and blocking Mordred's spell before it could go very far.

The shock on Dorian's face would have been funny if it weren't for the reason it was there. "You're magic?"

This, in a way, answered Emrys' question about Dorian remembering his past life. Certainly he would have known he was Merlin with that show of power?

"We're here for the King," Emrys said, not lowering his hand. "We'll just take him and go." He hoped they would be able to leave like that with Arthur, but he doubted it.

That doubt solidified when Dorian laughed. "Sorry, Emrys, but the Once and Future King is mine. I don't intend on letting him go that easily."

"You do realize you're outnumbered?" the Doctor asked, his own sonic device pointed at Dorian.

"What do you want the King for anyway?" Emrys had to know, for himself and for Merlin. "It's not like he's even alive."

Dorian smirked once more. "He doesn't have to be, to be of use. Haven't you realized yet what's going on, Emrys? It was called Project Knight for a reason."

Emrys was stunned, and he stumbled back a step as if he'd been struck. Project Knight had been his and his department's baby; they'd worked on it, not realizing…he wanted to be sick.

"What's Project Knight?" the Doctor asked.

"It…" Emrys swallowed hard. "It was a line of theoretical manipulation that led to increased stamina, strength, and agility in humans. It was meant to help off-world colonists on worlds that were borderline habitable." He took wanted to stalk toward Dorian and shake him. "Are you saying the DNA sample we used came from Arthur?"

Dorian grinned. "What better sample to use than from one of the greatest warriors of history?"

Rage built far too quickly within Emrys for it to have been only from him. Merlin's power rose within him, and it was only Anwyn's hand on his arm that grounded him. He couldn't risk Arthur. Not when he was so close.

"The changes weren't going to be used for exploration and colonization," Dorian went on. "With such a rich sample, we could breed an unstoppable army, one that we could sell to the highest bidder."

Merlin had heard enough. He lashed out, his magic throwing Dorian back and through the glass wall of the operating theatre, scattering glass everywhere. He shrugged off Anwyn's hand and strode forward…

Only to be thrown backward himself, bowling into Harkness and Jones and knocking them all sprawling.

Emrys had the air knocked from his lungs. He found himself staring at the ceiling, darkness nibbling his vision as he struggled to breathe. He heard someone calling his name, and then a sound that was obviously made by a blaster firing.

_Anwyn, _his muddled brain supplied.

He knew he had to get up and get back into the fight. Emrys levered himself upright, finding himself draped half over Harkness, who was also rising. Jones had already risen, and was covering them with his own weapon, which appeared to be some sort of stun gun.

All of their fire was being dispelled by a magical shield that Dorian had raised.

Emrys barely had time to register that Anwyn had taken cover behind one of the beds before he was letting Merlin call upon his magic once more, a spell he had no idea of falling from his lips. Dorian managed to block it, and Merlin and Emrys both knew it was going to come down to a duel of magic between himself and the man who had once been Mordred, his mortal enemy.

Dorian, who had been his boss and friend.

"This is my fight," Merlin said, not looking at the others. "You should all leave before you get hurt."

"No bloody way," Jones growled. With a roar, his shape changed, and the dragon was there, knocking beds and equipment aside to make room for his bulk.

Dorian's eyes widened, and he threw up yet another shield as the dragon swiped at him with his sharp claws, managing to keep them from doing any damage.

"Guns aren't going to do any good in a magical fight," the Doctor shouted.

"But we can't leave them here!" Harkness exclaimed.

"He's stronger than we thought," the Doctor answered. "We need to regroup."

Merlin aimed another spell at Dorian, and brought up his own shield in response to the other man's attack. The dragon joined the fight once more, speaking a single word of power that warped the senses enough to knock Dorian off balance long enough for Merlin to strike once more. The magical bolt penetrated Dorian's shield, sending him back amid the glass once more.

"I don't dare use my flame," the dragon shouted. "It's too enclosed in here."

"We just need to make sure Dorian doesn't get back up," Merlin declared.

He stalked toward their fallen enemy, and he could feel the heat of the dragon close by. Glass crunching under his feet, Merlin followed him into the damaged surgical suite…

And stopped as he saw the body of his long-lost lover, lying on a gurney, looking exactly the same as he had that terrible day Merlin had laid him to rest on the cairn in Avalon.

Arthur was still wearing the bloodied armour and the torn crimson cloak that Merlin had left on him as a badge of honour, signifying his death in that final battle. His face was in repose, as if he were simply sleeping, and the King's beauty took Merlin's breath away as it had back all those millennia ago. Burnished blond hair lay across Arthur's forehead, and Merlin ached to brush it away.

That moment of distraction was all that Dorian needed.

Merlin felt himself flying backward and over the body of his dead lover, tumbling past the gurney and slamming into the floor. Arthur was partially dislodged, his head hanging over the edge as well as one arm, as if he were reaching out for Merlin.

Emrys struggled to pull himself up. He could hear the dragon roaring outside, calling to him to answer, to let them know he was all right. He couldn't speak; all he could do was stare up at the corpse of the Once and Future King, and be swallowed up by the love Merlin felt for this man.

He could feel the magic surrounding the King. It thrummed across his consciousness like a heartbeat, drawing him upward. Merlin reached out and stroked the cold hand of his former lover, and Emrys found himself weeping at the unfairness of what had happened to them.

He might not have wanted to share bodies with Merlin, but he couldn't help but be touched by that shattering grief.

Merlin knew what to do. He knew he had to free Arthur's soul from the accidental prison he'd trapped it in. They also had to defeat Dorian, because he was Mordred and their enemy, even if Emrys' boss didn't recall any of that. He didn't question how Mordred had reincarnated; only that he had, and he couldn't be allowed to use Arthur to create his own army.

He could still hear the others out in the infirmary area, still calling for him.

Merlin begged Emrys to let him do what needed to be done.

Emrys let him.

In that moment, they were of the same mind.

Merlin took control, using the wall to stand. He could see Dorian facing his companions; Harkness was down, and the dragon who was Ianto Jones stood over the fallen body of his mate, protecting him from the magic that Dorian was flinging about. But even the near-indestructible dragon was injured, scorch marks marring the emerald green of his scales.

Anwyn and the Doctor had taken cover, and it seemed as if Dorian wasn't interested in them. He was taking his rage out on the dragon, who flatly refused to move away from Harkness' prone form.

Merlin knew what he had to do.

"Dorian!" he called, wanting to get the druid's attention.

He succeeded.

"Why won't you die?" Dorian shouted angrily, spinning back to face Merlin.

"I'm not that easy to kill," he answered, resting one hand on Arthur's chest. He had to get Dorian closer… "Besides, you aren't really trying all that hard," he taunted.

Dorian took one step closer, then another…

Merlin waited until he was fully within the surgical suite, hoping that what was left of the walls would protect his new friends from what he was about to do.

Dorian was raising his hand once more, when Merlin unravelled the magic keeping Arthur's body inviolate.

The last thing Emrys felt was Merlin thanking him, and apologizing for what had happened…

And a much-loved voice whispering, _"Merlin"_ in the dark.


	16. The Call of the Last - Chapter Eight

The Call of the Last - Chapter Eight

Author: Milady Dragon

Disclaimer: Not mine, sorry

Author's note: Hi! I'm on vacation this week, so I thought I'd get the next chapter posted, as well as the epilogue, so you're getting the last two of this story today. In the next day or so watch out for Series Two to start.

Thanks to everyone who has read and commented and alerted and favorite'd this set of stories. I'm glad you're enjoying them! There will be other future stories posting at some point (I wrote one for the Dragon Big Bang over on LJ, but I can't post that until sometime in January) so stay turned.

On with the rest of the story...

* * *

**_16 April 3257 (Earth Standard Time)_**

The clean-up of GenCorp didn't take long at all, in the scheme of things, although the massive hole in the side of the building took a bit more explaining to do.

Jack had Torchwood step in, although no one knew it was them. Ianto had been pretty impressed by just how subtle his mate had been over the situation. The Doctor had commented on the fact that GenCorp would be important to the future development of mankind, and Jack went to work. In hours, the company had been quietly resold and the explosion explained as a fault in the structure's electrical system, which caused a ruckus but was eventually smoothed out by a complete inspection…with nicely faked up reports to go along with it.

It turned out that the company's board of directors had turned a blind eye to what Dorian Edstrom had been up to, due to the promise of a profit that would have made them rich enough to buy their own moons. It was obvious that, as a whole, they didn't believe they'd actually found the dead body of the Once and Future King, but Dorian had them sold on everything else. They'd even rounded up backers for their supposed super-soldiers, and the wreckage of the thirtieth floor had proved to be a state of the art cloning facility.

Avalon was another matter, although easily solved. From company records GenCorp did not, in fact, own it; the CEO had, through a development company that he also had fingers in, claimed the land under the Land Use Act. In order to avoid a scandal and possible prosecution – accessory to attempted murder was a crime, after all; and the laws against desecrating a corpse were still very much on the books – the CEO agreed to let Torchwood take over and to sign Avalon over to Anwyn, with the codicil of 'in perpetuity' so no one would try to take it away from her. She swore it would never be developed, and Ianto knew she would keep that vow.

As for the druids…Dorian had been responsible for founding them, not long after he realized just what he had. They'd been able to apprehend the men from Avalon, and the druid among them had been able to fill in part of that story. How Dorian had somehow rediscovered magic – and the man didn't know how that had happened – and had decided that the druids needed to be reborn.

The Doctor posited that, somehow, Dorian had been a druid in a former life. It was obvious he didn't remember that life, but he'd discovered enough.

It would remain a mystery; Dorian had been found, but he'd been killed instantly in the explosion.

As for Emrys…

They never did find his body, or the King's. They'd been completely disintegrated by the discharge of magic.

Anwyn was inconsolable. She'd come to like Emrys, and had felt bad for what he was going through. Ianto and Jack had both wanted to send her home but she'd refused, needing to see the investigation through. Ianto couldn't blame her; he'd felt the same when a friend had died and he'd needed to help. Yes, she'd only known him for a little less than a day, but that didn't make her feelings any less real.

When it came down to it, though, Ianto doubted they'd ever really know what happened in that surgical suite. He was, however, fairly certain that Merlin had somehow channelled the magic and had saved their lives.

The outer room had been nearly untouched, while the surgery had been completely demolished. It had been a miracle that they'd come out of it moderately unscathed.

Ianto was going to be sore for a while; Dorian's magic had done damage to him as he'd protected Jack until his mate could revive. Jack had been killed in the first blast of magic that Dorian had sent toward them, and nothing would have gotten in the way of the dragon looking after his mate.

Magic was one of the things that could kill dragons, if the right spell was used. As it was, it could also hurt like the blazes.

He didn't tell Jack that, although he suspected his mate knew.

After everything was as done as it could be, they all headed home, dragging the Doctor back with them. The Time Lord was also bothered by what had happened, even if he wasn't saying anything about it. Ianto wondered if he was blaming himself for Emrys' death, although what he could have done to prevent it the dragon didn't know.

They arrived back at the house in the flitter, and were greeted immediately by Rowena and Cadi, both welcoming them all with hugs…including the Doctor, who looked touched by the gesture. "A strange blue box arrived yesterday," Rowena reported excitedly. "This really nice lady came out of it."

"Ah," the Doctor said, relieved. "That would be the TARDIS."

"And the lady?" Jack teased.

"Oh, well…um…"

"That would be me."

They all turned toward the new voice. The woman was attractive, wearing an ankle-length blue dress and what looked like a Vortex Manipulator. She had curly light hair and twinkling eyes.

She moved forward, offering her hand. "I'm River Song," she introduced herself, shaking Jack's, then Anwyn's, and finally Ianto's, hand. "I'm the Doctor's wife."

Jack's mouth dropped open in pure shock, and Ianto couldn't blame him. "Wife?" Jack's voice actually squeaked.

River Song winked.

The Doctor was speechless.

Ianto decided that he liked her. A lot.

"I'm afraid so," she answered. "And I've come to collect my wayward husband before he breaks time again."

"I think you'll find," the Doctor argued, "that you're the one who broke time."

"But I did it for you," she fluttered her eyelashes at him, with an innocent expression on her face that would have fooled the most cynical copper.

Oh yes, they were married all right.

Jack looked as if he couldn't make up his mind whether to gawp or laugh.

"We'll walk you out," Ianto said, offering his arm to River.

She smiled at him and accepted. "Thank you…"

"Ianto Jones."

Her smile got bigger. "Are you the dragon then?"

"That's right."

"It's quite a pleasure to meet you," she said, as they left the house. Jack and the Doctor were just behind them; Anwyn had gotten delayed by her sisters. "I've heard so much about you."

"I hope it was all good." He held the door open for her.

"Spoilers," River answered, winking.

Yes, Ianto really did like her very much indeed.

The TARDIS was parked on the green, and the dragon was surprised that it hadn't gathered any more interest…although Rowena had said it had been there since yesterday, so everyone was most likely used to it being there by now.

Ianto stopped at the doors, and Jack and the Doctor joined them. "I do wish that had turned out differently," the Time Lord said with a sigh.

"But I get the feeling you knew what was going to happen," Jack said shrewdly.

"Not completely," the Doctor admitted. "Yes, I knew about Emrys' dreams, and I knew that GenCorp would be under new management and that he worked there, but I didn't know the two events were connected."

"He did get a bit of a spoiler though," River added.

The Doctor rubbed the back of his neck. "Let's just say this isn't the first time I've met Anwyn, but it's the first time she's met me." He seemed a bit embarrassed by the confession. "I met her and Cadi, actually. And it wasn't the TARDIS who wanted me to give your ring back…Anwyn told me to. But I'm a bit ashamed of how much time it took me to do it."

"He does learn," River said, patting the Doctor on the arm. "It just takes a while."

"I get the feeling that you're very good for him," Jack grinned.

"I do try."

"Jack…Ianto," the Doctor said, "I really do hope we can be friends someday."

Jack reached out and pulled the Time Lord into a hug. "Count on it."

Ianto had known that Jack would forgive fairly easily if given the right motivation, but he was surprised that he found himself doing the same thing. This version of the Doctor was so very different from the last, and he honestly had tried to do what was best. He'd been upset at losing Emrys, which was another mark in his favour.

"You're welcome to come back to visit anytime," Ianto found himself saying, once Jack had stepped back from the hug.

The Doctor grinned. "Excellent!" He pulled the TARDIS key from his pocket, unlocking the door. "Maybe we'll be back when your first grandson is born!"

"Sweetie," River admonished, "what have I said about spoilers?"

"Wait," Jack gasped. "_Grandson_?"

Ianto was just as shocked. A grandson? That wasn't something they'd been expecting; both of the twins were too young, and Anwyn wasn't ready to settle down…

"Oh right," the Doctor stammered. "I shouldn't say too much about that, should I?"

"Too late," the dragon growled. "You can't expect to just drop that bomb and have us not ask about it!"

'Dad? Tad?" Anwyn's voice spun them both around. Her face was pale, and her hand was resting on her stomach.

"Well, I did a quick scan in the flitter on the way to Avalon," the Doctor admitted. "I'd say about three weeks…"

Anwyn swallowed. "That would put it during my stopover at Farpoint Station…but that's not possible! I was careful!"

"Honey," River smiled, "take it from someone who knows…birth control, no matter how advanced, isn't infallible."

Ianto thought that the goldfish look wasn't at all attractive on his daughter. It was probably as awful on him as well.

And then it struck him just what River had said. "You…and the Doctor?"

Jack got it at the same time, judging from the huge smile on his face. "There's the patter of little Time Lord feet out there in the universe somewhere?"

The Doctor actually blushed.

River returned Jack's smile. "He's currently staying with my parents. He's a bit too young to go exploring yet."

Rowena tugged on River's skirt. When the woman gazed down at her, she said with the seriousness only a child could have, "You should bring him here. I can look after him."

River knelt, hugging her. "Count on it, sweetie."

"Well," the Doctor interrupted, "we need to get going. Amy and Rory are waiting for us, and I want to see…er…Junior again."

"You did _not_ name him Junior!" Jack guffawed. He was laughing so hard he was having trouble breathing.

"I can assure you we did not name our son Junior." River favoured the Doctor with a glare, making the Time Lord blush even harder.

Ianto thought he and River were going to get along just fine.

"We really should be going," she said, her face transforming into a friendly grin. "It's been so good meeting you all, and we'll definitely be back." This time she hugged them all, and then stepped into the open TARDIS, leaving the Doctor to his own farewells.

"Thank you both," the Time Lord said sincerely. "I wouldn't have blamed you if you had held my former regeneration's actions against me…"

"It's pretty obvious that you're different from him," Ianto answered. "It wouldn't be right to remain angry at someone who's long gone." And it was true. Ianto had found himself holding this incarnation fairly blameless for what his Tenth self had done. It was obvious to anyone that he was bothered by his previous behaviour, and Ianto was perfectly willing to give him a chance.

"Ianto's right," Jack replied. "You've proved that you're not him, and that's good enough for us."

Jack hugged the Doctor once more, and Ianto shook his hand. "Don't be a stranger," the dragon said.

"I don't plan on it." The Doctor grinned. He got his fair share of hugs from Anwyn and the twins, and then retreated to the TARDIS, but not before giving the family a jaunty wave.

With the familiar grinding and wheezing, the time machine faded from view.

Jack put his arm around Ianto, and the dragon leaned into his mate's warmth. "That was a big thing you did," he murmured.

"It's all water under the bridge," Ianto answered. "This is a new start. I just hope he doesn't blow it, or else the next time I won't forgive quite so easily." _If at all, _was the unspoken thought.

"Now, however, we have something else to take care of." Jack turned toward their children, and Ianto mirrored the movement, keeping himself firmly against his mate's side. "Anwyn Harkness-Jones –"

Anwyn held up hands. "I swear, I had no idea…"

"You were as big a surprise," Ianto said, grinning.

"Boy, were you," Jack agreed.

"It's up to you, Anwyn," the dragon said, turning serious. "You can choose to have him, or not. We both know you're not ready to completely settle down…"

"I admit," their eldest answered, "I had thought I'd be having my first child with the person who would become my mate. But I can't say I'm exactly…disappointed. I loved taking care of my sisters when they were babies." Her expression turned teasing. "Now, when they got older it was another thing entirely…"

Both Cadi and Rowena instantly transformed into their dragon forms and jumped onto their older sister, and Anwyn went down on her backside, giggling under the playful assault. She managed to catch one of the little dragons – Ianto could never tell the girls apart when they were in dragon-form – and began tickling her mercilessly.

The dragon changed back, revealing herself to be Cadi, and began to return the tickle attack, while Rowena still kept her dragon-form and got out of the way, dive-bombing into openings the wrestling pair gave her, tugging on Anwyn's hair and clothes in order to distract her from Cadi's wriggling fingers.

Jack laughed, tightening his grip on Ianto. The dragon watched his family with a happy smile, glad to see Anwyn accepting what was to come, and putting what had happened behind her.

After a few minutes, they waded in and broke up the mock fight. "Let's be careful, you two," Jack warned. "Anwyn won't be able to rough-house with you both much longer."

Cadi looked up at Ianto from the circle of his arms. "Does this mean we're going to get a baby nephew?" she asked.

Ianto nodded. "Are you both ready to be aunties?"

Jack had picked Rowena up, and the smaller dragon had wrapped herself around her dad. Her head swivelled around to regard Ianto, her blue eyes wide. "We're ready, Tad." She looked excited.

Ianto had to admit, he was excited as well.


	17. The Call of the Last - Epilogue

**__**The Call of the Last - Epilogue

Author: Milady Dragon

Disclaimer: Wishing it was mine doesn't make it so.

Author's note: Here it is, the Epilogue for The Call of the Last. Sometime in January there will be a new Future story, but until then I hope you enjoy the upcoming Second Series, which I should be posting starting in the next couple of days. Thanks, everyone! I appreciate every one of you.

* * *

**_11 January 3258 (Earth Standard Time)  
_**

The sound of the Great Dragons singing the birthing song came from just outside the window of Anwyn's room, as Dr. Sakai Katsuko wrapped the newborn infant up in a pale blue blanket and then handed him to his mother. Anwyn had been propped up in bed, and she looked tired but triumphant as she accepted her son from his doctor.

"It's a boy," Katsuko announced. "Not that you didn't already know that, of course."

Ianto was so very proud of his daughter. Anwyn had blossomed in the months of her pregnancy, becoming calmer and more focused on the future instead of what she was missing. She'd had the support of her entire family, with Jack and Ianto giving her pregnancy advice and the twins getting more and more excited as time came closer for the birth. Cadi had come out of her shell and together she and Rowena had helped decorate the room that would become the nursery, and had done little things for their older sister that had had their parents melting and Anwyn fighting hormones in order to keep from bawling her eyes out.

The day had been clear and cold, and it had started easily enough…and then quickly devolved into an argument as to just where she would be giving birth. Anwyn had won that, and she'd been set up in her own bedroom, with Katsuko holding court over proceedings and playing her various medical instruments like a virtuoso. It was at times like these that Ianto was convinced that their friend was somehow Toshiko come back to life, only without any of her memories of that past time.

Jack and Ianto had managed to get in, but Katsuko had warned them to stand back, and so they'd spent the entire birth in a corner of the room, watching raptly as their oldest daughter cursed whatever god or goddess it had been who'd made having a child such a 'fucking pain in her vagina'. A nice epidural had taken care of the foul language that would have made a hardened spacer blush, and the presence of her younger sisters also helped to tone it down a bit.

In the end, when their grandson was being passed to his mother, Ianto couldn't help the tears that streamed down his face. Knowing that his family line would continue, when there had been a time when he'd thought that would never happen was enough to turn him into a crying girl.

"Name him," he murmured, stepping forward as the patriarch of his clan. "Name him, Anwyn."

She looked up into his eyes, and Ianto could see the pride and love in her. "I Name him –"

"Arthur!"

Everyone in the room jumped at the unexpected interruption. Ianto spun toward the voice, wanting to know who had interrupted their family moment.

It was a boy, who appeared to be about three years old. Black hair flopped across his forehead, and bright blue eyes were brimming with sheer happiness. A wide grin decorated his thin, delicate features, and his ears…well, Ianto sincerely hoped that one day he would grow into them.

The boy was vaguely familiar. Ianto couldn't say how.

Jack moved out of the corner they'd been banished to, at the beginning of Anwyn's labour. "And just where did you come from?" he asked, confused and yet trying to hide it.

The boy simply smiled up at him. "He's Arthur," he reiterated. He made his way into the room, heading toward the bed…

And promptly tripped on a corner of the rug.

In a flash, Jack had made it to the boy, and had scooped him up, checking him for injuries. The boy's knees were a bit scraped, but he giggled as he grabbed onto one of Jack's braces. "I have lots of boo boos," he said, grinning. "Mummy says I take after Dada."

"And who's your Dada?" Ianto asked.

"Um…that would be me."

Now, _that_ voice was familiar.

Ianto rolled his eyes. "Hello Doctor…River."

The Doctor was leaning against one side of the door jamb, and River was against the other and standing just behind him. She had a knowing look on her face, while the Doctor was smirking as if he had really exciting news to impart.

"There's no way this is your kid," Jack teased. "He's way too cute."

"Hey!" the Doctor exclaimed. "I happen to be quite good looking."

"I think you are, Sweetie." River patted his arm comfortingly.

"You know," Anwyn drawled from the bed, "I _have_ just had a baby. You think you can pay some attention over in this direction?"

Ianto wanted to laugh; instead, he snorted. "She gets that from you," he told Jack.

The little boy began to wriggle in Jack's arms, and he put him down in order to avoid him falling. Ianto thought the kid would have headed over to his Dad and Mum, but instead he made a beeline for the bed, practically crawling up onto it like a monkey. He sat next to Anwyn, looking down onto the sleepy face of the baby in her arms.

Ianto caught Jack taking a picture using his Vortex Manipulator. Yes, it was just that adorable, and he would have to remember to make copies for all parties concerned.

"His name is Arthur," the boy said seriously. "And he's gonna grow up to be a really big prat."

Anwyn was completely charmed, judging from the smile on her face. "Do you even know what a prat is?" she asked.

The boy shook his head. "Nope. But Arthur's gonna be one!"

Something tickled at the back of Ianto's mind, and he realized just where he thought he'd seen the boy before. It wasn't the boy, per se; it was the combination of features that made up the whole. He turned back toward the Doctor, raising an eyebrow in silent question. The Doctor waggled his own, and Ianto took that as some form of agreement.

He was about to ask what the boy's name was – although he already suspected – when Cadi did it for him.

She forced her way through the adults blocking the bed, coming to stand next to the boy. She seemed wary, which was her natural state when strangers decided they wanted to monopolize Anwyn's attention. "Who are you?" she asked fiercely once she was within grabbing distance, as if she thought she would need to protect her bigger sister from the gangly little boy.

He grinned at her cheekily. "I'm Merlin!"

It was gratifying to know that, even after all these years that Ianto could still be right about everything.

"We in fact did not name him that," the Doctor denied. "He chose it for himself on his second birthday."

River was very much the doting mother. "I never thought I'd be the mother of the greatest sorcerer in the universe." She stepped closer to Anwyn. "And you are the mother of the Once and Future King. Our boys are going to be so wonderful together." She was practically gushing.

Anwyn managed to look both gobsmacked and proud at the same time.

"You knew," Jack accused.

"Well…" the Doctor hedged. "In a way. I mean, Merlin had started remembering, but then he was only toddling at the time, and most of what he said came out in squeals and gurgles…"

"Please," River snorted. "You know you speak baby. You were just upset that he didn't pick some grandiose name to call himself after he was born."

"Anyway," the Doctor went on, drawing the word and shooting River a sharp look, "it was difficult to decipher when he started going on about knights and quests and speaking in a language even the TARDIS wouldn't translate…well, it made sense when he decided he liked the name Merlin and insisted we call him that from now on."

"And when he started asking after Arthur," River added, "that was a dead giveaway that the King had been reborn. Of course, we did have some foreknowledge of where to look."

"So I'm guessing that your son was born in the future?" Jack asked. "After all, if I'm understanding reincarnation properly, then the same soul couldn't be reborn into two different bodies."

"You are understanding correctly," Ianto replied. Jack really was accepting reincarnation quite well, but then he'd had well over 1200 years to work on him about such things.

"He was conceived in the vortex," River answered, grinning lasciviously. "And wasn't that a wild ride!"

The Doctor smirked at that, but he couldn't quite hide the embarrassed flush and the puffing out of his chest at the praise.

"And Anwyn thought knowing that her parents had sex was gross," Jack joked.

"It is!" Anwyn piped up. "But honestly, you're saying my son is King Arthur reborn?"

"Merlin seems to think so," the Doctor said.

"But how can he remember his previous life?" Ianto asked.

"No idea, but I suspect it has to do with the release of the spell that had bound Arthur's soul to his body. I did scan his brain, and there's something definitely going on in there that's beyond Time Lord. Oh, and then there's the magic. Freaked me out the first time he changed the colour of his bedroom walls because he didn't like green."

River laughed. "He thought the TARDIS was playing a trick on him."

"It could be because he's a child, and as such his brain isn't developed yet," the Doctor went on. "I'm guessing the same thing will happen with Arthur…he'll eventually grow into the memories instead of having them all downloaded into his mind at once. It's a lot less overwhelming that way."

Ianto was glad. He remembered watching Emrys as he struggled with having two sets of memories in his head. It was something he didn't want anyone else to have to experience.

"I can run some scans once Arthur gets older," the Doctor offered. "We can monitor his development, as well as Merlin's."

"You're both welcome to stay in the valley" Ianto offered, a little surprised at himself for even suggesting it. "I doubt you'll be travelling much until Merlin is much older."

"Settling down," the Doctor mused. "I never thought I'd even be considering it."

"Maybe for a little while," River said, resting a hand on his arm. "You're right; Merlin is a bit too young for adventuring, and it would be a good idea to stay in one place. Besides, I get the feeling he's going to need someone to teach him how to use his powers, and I'm willing to bet that your Great Dragons can do something about that."

"Plus, I don't think you're going to get him away from the baby," Jack added. "They were attached before either of them was conceived."

Ianto watched as Merlin gazed upon the baby almost adoringly. "You do realize," he said, "that Merlin being a Time Lord and Arthur being Anwyn's son that they're going to live for an extremely long time."

"If things develop the way they did back when they were first together," Jack replied, putting his arm around Ianto's waist, "then they'll never be alone. They'll always have each other."

"And they're destined to bring magic back to the world," Anwyn added. She chuckled. "And here I was going to name him Emrys."

"I think you're stuck with Arthur now," River said.

"Arthur Harkness-Jones does have a ring to it," Anwyn considered. "I think I like it."

The dragon-song, which had been carrying on outside the window, suddenly stopped. _"So shall it be," _all four Great Dragons announced, and Ianto felt something in the atmosphere change, aligning itself to the destiny that the two children on the bed would face. It had been the same when the twins had been born.

"So shall it be," he echoed quietly.

"So shall it be," the Doctor affirmed.

_Fin._


	18. The Legacy - Chapter One

The Legacy - Chapter One

Author: Milady Dragon

Disclaimer: I don't own either Torchwood, Doctor Who, or Merlin. Darn it.

Author's Note: This was written for the Dragon Big Bang over on LJ, and takes place after The Call of the Last.  Reading that story is pretty necessary for reading this, if you want to understand certain parts of it. I take some liberties with plotlines from the series "Merlin" so don't be surprised. There is also MPreg in this, so if it's not your cup of tea...

Hope you all enjoy!

* * *

**_15 November 5101 (Earth Standard Date)_**

**_Luna University, the Moon_**

"I'd like to thank Professor Ifan Jones for agreeing to give the lecture today," Dr. Rowena ap Llyn – born Harkness-Jones – spoke from the podium at the front of the lecture hall, her face a combination of serious and pleased. "Please give Professor Jones a round of applause."

The packed house did so, as did the students who were attending remotely via the large screens that were mounted on the walls surrounding of the crowded hall. Ianto – introduced by his current name, Ifan, at the beginning of the lecture – couldn't help but smile; when Rowena had talked to him about giving a lecture on dragon history and society, he'd been honoured and yet hesitant. He hadn't been at all certain that standing up in front of a crowd of students and giving a talk on his people would be a really good idea, since he and Jack had long thought that standing out of the way of history at this point in time would be for the best because it was right in the middle of Jack's mortal timeline.

Also, there was the idea that no one would actually be interested in hearing him speak about dragons.

Well, he'd been proven wrong when he'd walked into the hall and found the place standing room only. He'd rolled his eyes at Rowena's smug expression and had allowed her to introduce him.

Ianto nodded politely, letting a pleased smile appear at the standing ovation he was receiving. His lecture had gone well indeed, far better than he'd thought it would when Rowena had first approached him about it, several months back.

He thought he might take her to dinner as a 'thank you'.

Rowena stepped down from the podium to join him as the lecture hall slowly cleared. She was smiling. "That was amazing, Tad."

Ianto gave her a one-armed hug. "I'm very glad you convinced me to do this, Rowena."

"I didn't think you really would," his second eldest daughter admitted as he gathered up his data crystals and putting them into his satchel. "Especially with Dad and all…"

All of their children knew that their father, Jack Harkness, was pretty much confined to Ddraig Llyn for at least the next twenty-five years. Ianto knew that, in the life of an immortal, it really wasn't that long. However, Ianto hated to leave Jack on his own for a protracted time. His mate did have a tendency to get bored after a while, and the dragon wanted to be around when that happened in order to distract his mate.

"It was your father who finally convinced me to do this," Ianto answered. Together they left the lecture hall, mingling with the crowds of students making their way to their next classes. "Apparently I was driving him nuts being underfoot all the time. Personally, I believe this latest pregnancy has his hormones completely out of whack." He didn't add that anything at all seemed to set Jack off, and that his mate was horribly distracted by his own uncertainties.

Rowena laughed. "Like that doesn't happen every other time!"

Ianto joined his daughter in laughter. This was their tenth child in fifteen hundred years – not counting their eldest, Anwyn, who'd been born six hundred years before their twins, Rowena and Cadi – and Ianto was always amazed when it happened. The dragon rate of procreation had been extremely slow; his own mother had had himself and his sister, Sabrina, nearly two thousand years apart, and that had been considered quick by some. But then, Jack had been the one carrying the majority of their family, although that hadn't been Ianto's intention. After the blessing they'd received from the Great Dragons had granted Ianto the ability to get pregnant he'd fully intended to share the duty.

It hadn't worked out that way, though, and Ianto had ended up carrying four of their children compared to Jack's seven, this time counting Anwyn. That had included their twins, one of which was walking beside him. Rowena had made a name for herself as a researcher and instructor there at Luna University while her twin, Cadi, had become an accomplished explorer and pilot, owning her own ship and working for this incarnation of Torchwood.

The Star Dragons.

Ianto's family, scattered among the worlds of the Human Empire, fulfilling the prophecy of the Great Dragons.

He couldn't have been prouder.

"Do you have classes this evening?" he asked as they approached Rowena's office. A discreet metal plate with _Dr. R. ap Llyn, History Department_ engraved on it decorated the wall next to the door. All of their children had temporarily set aside the Harkness-Jones surname that they'd all been born with in order not to draw any attention to their father and it still bothered Ianto to know that it had to be done for now, and that he'd had to do the same. They couldn't afford to have anyone make the connection between a currently mortal man and the person who would become the infamous leader of the Torchwood Institute in the far past. Anyone with a grudge could very easily change time by keeping the young Jamys Franklinson from becoming the immortal Jack Harkness if they knew the truth.

Rowena ushered him inside. "I just have a few things to do and then I'm free." She set her tablets and data storage units down on her perfectly straightened desk, taking a seat while she booted up her computer.

"Then let me take you out for dinner," he suggested. "A new classic Chinese place has opened up in London that I thought we might try." He grimaced at the word 'classic'; he had yet to find a place that made Chinese food the way he remembered it. He had very fond memories of the Chinese take-outs he used to be able to get.

Rowena grinned. "Don't think I didn't notice that, Tad. I don't know why you keep torturing yourself with restaurants you know you're going to end up hating."

"Hope springs eternal," Ianto replied. "One of these centuries someone's going to make a decent Kung Pau chicken."

His daughter rolled her eyes. "If you say so."

"That's the problem with today's children…no respect for their elders," Ianto teased.

"I'll have you know I respect everything about you, except for your need to punish yourself in order to find a good Chinese place."

"It's not punishment," he averred, "it's a quest, one just as important as those preformed by the ancient Knights of old."

She raised an eyebrow. "I wonder, if I asked Arthur that, if he would agree with you."

Ianto's first grandson, Arthur Harkness-Jones – who had taken the name Pendragon, after his reincarnated soul-self – currently ran Torchwood, along with his mate, Merlin Williams-Song, the son of the Eleventh Doctor and his wife, River Song…and who was also the reincarnation of the mythical Sorcerer, Merlin Emrys. "I'm certain he'd go along with his favourite grandfather."

Rowena laughed. "If you say so, Tad."

"If you keep up this disrespect you'll be paying for dinner!"

His daughter laughed again. "All right…I'll finish this and then we'll go. Transmat, spell, or shuttle?"

"Transmat, of course. It's a perk of being the grandfather of the Director of Torchwood and his Second." Ianto was so very proud of his boys, and was glad that Torchwood was in such good hands. "Did you hear that Merlin was going to be revamping the Vortex Manipulators using some sort of magic to refine the mechanism?" At Rowena's nod, he went on. "He got two of them finished, but forgot to bring them on his last trip to Ddraig Llyn. If he'd remembered, I could have teleported us there."

Ianto frowned, remembering that visit. Merlin hadn't just forgotten the Manipulators; he and Jack had gotten into a fairly loud row…

"Tad? Is something wrong?"

He looked up at his daughter. Rowena's expression was questioning, and Ianto sighed. "Sorry, it's just that…well, your Dad is convinced that time has changed, and the last time Merlin was there he tried to get him to look into the timelines to see where the change happened. There was a bit of an argument about it, actually."

"Dad and Merlin had a fight?" Rowena sounded incredulous.

"It was…" Ianto sighed again. The discussion had been distressing, both for himself and for his grandson's mate. "What you don't realise is that your father didn't believe in any sort of magic at all when I met him. He swears that magic didn't exist."

His daughter frowned. "But it does, thanks to Merlin."

"Exactly. Which is why Merlin was so upset by a few things that Jack said to him."

"But Dad wouldn't purposely upset Merlin!"

"I know that." Ianto dragged a hand through his hair, trying to put his thoughts into order. "But Jack is so convinced that something has changed and he intimated that it was something to do with Merlin. Merlin didn't take that very well at all, which I can understand…he's the Doctor's son, after all, and he takes Time very seriously."

Rowena nodded. "It's why he's determined to clean up the Time Agency."

Ianto had been a witness to one of Merlin's many rants about the Time Agency and how corrupt it had become. He'd been content to let them carry on as long as they were actually policing the timelines, but the moment that things changed the sorcerer had been adamant that something had had to be done. It didn't help that Jack, while admitting that things had been bad by the time he'd left after having his memory wiped, was still concerned that taking down the Time Agency would be messing with time. Ianto had pointed out that John Hart had once claimed that the Agency had been disbanded, and Jack had settled a bit, but the dragon's mate had been more and more antsy about screwing things up the closer to his own time they'd gotten.

"So Dad is sure that time's been somehow messed with?" Rowena asked. "And he bases this on the fact that he doesn't remember there being any magic in the future?"

Ianto nodded. "Or dragons, and while there aren't that many out there yet, the Star Dragons are at least spoken of in most galactic circles. Your siblings have done a lot of good work out there, and of course there's Arthur, in his role as Director as Torchwood." He chuckled. "You should have heard your Dad trying to rationalise _me_ when we first met. His favourite was the 'alien influence in Earth evolution' theory."

Rowena snorted. "That's still going on, actually. One of my colleagues mentioned it when I suggested this seminar on dragons. There are some out there that are still convinced that dragons are creatures of nature, and not magic. I laugh every time, since magic is about a natural as it can get."

"There will always be people who think that, even with the proof of magic in the universe once more." Ianto turned sober. "It took me a long time to get Jack to admit that magic exists. I think it helped when he was able to turn into a dragon the first time, at our original mating ceremony. He had no logical way to explain it."

"Maybe I'm being a bit thick here, Tad, but I don't get why Dad thinks time has been changed, just because he doesn't recall something."

"Jack swears that magic didn't exist in this time. He's convinced that something is wrong, and it's frankly scaring him."

He could see it dawning on Rowena. "He's afraid that something's changed time so badly that his younger self won't follow the path that he did. That there's a paradox brewing."

"Merlin says there isn't, and I believe him. He's got his father's time sense, and I should think he'd know if something that big was looming."

"And Dad's working himself into a frenzy, which isn't helping the pregnancy any," Rowena guessed.

"I'm worried about him," Ianto admitted. "I hadn't intended on taking the seminar when you offered, but he insisted and I didn't want to argue with him. Your Dad gets bored easily, being stuck in Ddraig Llyn and with his certainty that something is going to go wrong…he has plenty of time to dwell if he's not kept busy."

"Now I'm sorry I suggested it."

"No, don't be." He leaned forward, taking her hand in his. "This was amazing, Rowena. I enjoyed it, and all of those young people, interested in what I had to say…it was a gift. A wonderful gift."

Rowena smiled, blushing slightly. "With the interest in the Star Dragons, I thought it was time for people to know our history. And you tell it in a way that makes others hang on your every word. It's your passion, Tad, and it's amazing to see."

"Our family history is important," Ianto said. "We should never forget. And it's startling in a way, because I still remember being hunted and feared and being so alone. To be accepted…all right, they have no idea I'm actually a dragon, but your brothers and sisters are out there, and they've never made it a secret of what they are." He pulled his hand away, leaning back into his seat. "Now, get your work done and we'll talk more at the restaurant. Your old Tad is hungry. Public speaking is hard work."

Rowena laughed. "No wonder I'm always hungry after my lectures, then."

* * *

**_Old London, Earth_**

The transmat dropped them off in the old section of London. Ianto knew it didn't look a thing like the 21st Century London he could remember, but then it would only be noticeable to himself and Jack. Plus, it was impossible to make something resemble something it simply could not be, and London had changed too much in the last three thousand years to go back to the past; from natural disasters to over-building to alien invasions, London could not simply be recreated in its former image.

Still, the air was clean – cleaner than it had been in over a hundred years – and the day had just enough of a chill to be bracing. Not that Ianto really minded the weather, but he could still appreciate a nearly perfect day. The sun chased away the coolness until they walked under the coloured awning that marked the entrance to the new restaurant the dragon had wanted to try. He stood in the way of the door's automatic eye in order to let Rowena enter first, and then he followed her into the restaurant.

The décor seemed to lean toward Chinese dragons, which made Ianto smile in spite of himself. He could recall the one time he'd actually met a Chinese dragon, an ancient being who had been a High Priest to the Eastern Sea King Dragon. He had been enormous, without the wings that Ianto had thought all dragons had, and he'd come to consult with the Water Dragon on an issue that the young dragon had never discovered, although his father had been aware of the visit and had sat in on the actual discussions. He'd asked his father at the time why the Chinese dragon had been so different, and he'd simply answered that not all humans were the same either, despite being descended from the same line going back to the beginning of time.

They took a seat at a table near the window, Ianto gallantly holding Rowena's chair out for her. She snorted, but took the seat, shaking her head in wonder. "You are the most old-fashioned person I know, Tad."

Ianto raised an eyebrow. "You say that like it's a bad thing."

Rowena's response was interrupted by the waitress appearing at their table with the electronic menu, setting it in the centre within reach of both dragon and daughter. Ianto greeted her in Mandarin; the woman looked surprised and then delighted, and that led to them speaking for a couple of minutes in rapid-fire Chinese, Ianto learning about her spouse and their two children and how great it was that someone had actually taken the time to learn her language.

Ianto was glad that he'd decided to take up languages as a hobby when he and Jack had retired from Torchwood.

Once the waitress had left, they perused the menu, finally settling on what they wanted. Ianto stood, saying, "I'm going to the mens'. Can you order me the Kung Pau Chicken?"

"Taking a chance there, Tad?" Rowena teased.

"It's my destiny, you know," he answered primly. "To find a Kung Pau Chicken that meets my expectations."

Rowena's laughter followed him toward the colourful sign directing Ianto to the mens' room. He grinned, shaking his head, passing their waitress and several other seated customers on the way. He really didn't see his older children as much as he wanted, and it was good to be spending time with his second eldest. They'd all moved on, getting lives of their own, finding mates and raising families and spreading magic into the galaxy.

He was so proud of each and every one of them.

Ianto quickly made use of the facilities, and was at the sink washing his hands – there was actual water, instead of the sonic cleansers most places used anymore – when a sudden flash lit up the room.

The dragon didn't even have time to react when something was pressed against his neck.

Darkness descended.


	19. The Legacy - Chapter Two

The Legacy - Chapter Two

Author: Milady Dragon

Disclaimer: I don't own a thing here, darn it.

Author's note: Welcome back! Here is the next chapter for you. I hope you enjoy!

* * *

**_15 November 5101 (Earth Standard Date)_**

**_Hubworld, Gliese 581g_**

Merlin Williams-Song strode through the corridors of Torchwood Tower, frustration eating at him as he made his way toward the loading area at the base of the tower where his mate was waiting.

Merlin hated being late, but it seemed it was just something that followed him throughout all his reincarnations. No matter what he did, he was usually late for whatever appointment he might have, and it was the subject of many a joke at his expense.

And so, he was late for the arrival of several artefacts from Skaro that predated the Daleks.

At least Arthur had called him this time. There'd been that one time that Arthur had just waited, to see how long it would take Merlin to get there. He'd ended up waiting almost an hour, and Merlin hadn't heard the end of it.

Goddesses, he loved Arthur but his mate could be such a _prat_.

He dodged around employees almost recklessly, apologising as he nearly bumped into several people in his rush to get to the loading bay. Merlin had wanted to be there on time, to meet the transport carrying the priceless artefacts, and to personally transfer them into the Archives. As Second of Torchwood, he was automatically the Head Archivist, and it was a responsibility he took very seriously. He'd been doing the job for nearly fifteen hundred years and two regenerations – luckily for him his appearance hadn't changed all that much each time, much to the confusion of his Dad, the Doctor – and was justifiably proud of the job he'd done. Even his mate's Grandtad, the original Head Archivist, had commented on how proud he was of Merlin's work. That praise really made it all worthwhile.

Merlin practically skidded around the corner and down the short flight of steps leading to the main loading bay. The large room at the base of Torchwood Tower was pretty much empty, the last delivery of anything having been two standard days ago. A few crates were all that remained, containing supplies that the Tower needed in order to run properly.

He could see Arthur standing at the end of the bay, his arms crossed over his chest, blond hair almost glowing red in the harsh light of the system's star, Gliese 581. He wasn't alone; two others were with him, and as Merlin approached he saw that one was human, the other a Remneth whose red skin practically drank in the lurid sunlight.

Arthur had a knowing smirk on his face, and it was all Merlin could do not to smack him on the back of the head, much like Arthur had done to him many times in their first life together. There were times when Merlin felt so strange, remembering every life he'd once led, but he could also draw on all that accumulated knowledge if he needed to. Sometimes though it was simply overwhelming, and he was glad that Arthur only had to recall the one life previous to his being reincarnated as Arthur Harkness-Jones, the son of Anwyn Harkness-Jones and the grandson of the immortal Jack Harkness and the dragon, Ianto Jones.

It also meant that Arthur Harkness-Jones was only one life away from Arthur Pendragon, prat and Once and Future King, and his very bearing screamed royalty. It was annoying.

"Sorry I'm late," he panted, coming to a halt beside Arthur. "I was working on something and got distracted."

"That's fine, Second Williams-Song," the Remneth answered, smiling. "Director Pendragon was kind enough to explain."

Merlin tossed a glare over at Arthur, who simply shrugged it off. He could imagine just what Arthur had, in fact, explained. "I'm sure he did," he said, smiling widely and yet wishing at the same time that he could read his mate's mind to find out just what was on it. "Maybe we can get started?"

"Of course," the Remneth said.

Merlin was handed the shipment's manifest by the human, and he went over it, making certain it tallied with what he'd been sent two weeks ago. He then had to juggle both his PDA and the manifest's pad to get to his communicator, ignoring an amused snort from Arthur as he nearly dropped the PDA on the permacrete floor. At least the clotpole could have offered to take one of the devices from him!

He called several of his assistants, and together they got to work unloading the transport and moving the crates down to the Torchwood Archives. Merlin might have enjoyed the excitement of working for Torchwood, but this was what he truly loved: the search for knowledge about other worlds and their history. It was something he shared with his father and mother, his Aunt Rowena, and his Grandtad Ianto, and he was grateful that he could have all of this history at his fingertips, to figure out what these particular artefacts meant in the scheme of the past and if they could shed some light on the present and the future.

Merlin had a leg up on most historical scholars though, and that was his unique sense of Time. Certainly it didn't tell him everything, but he could 'feel' the flow of Time around objects and people, and could usually interpret that flow fairly accurately. He could also see the timelines, if they were important enough, and he could still recall his mother teasing him about cheating on his exams by attempting to see the past events he was studying about first-hand.

The artefacts were a fascinating mix of Kaled and Thal, and Merlin easily lost himself in the unpacking and cataloguing of what they'd been brought. Every once in a while he would catch Arthur watching him, and after a while he managed to shoo his mate out of the Archives…or the Hoard, as they'd been called ever since Grandtad Ianto had been in charge. Merlin was well aware of just how sexy Arthur found him when he was in his element, so to speak…almost was sexy as his mate found it when Merlin used magic.

Despite Merlin's innate sense of time, he tended to lose track of it when he was doing something he was interested in. This was why he had no clue just how long he'd been working when his communicator beeped at him.

Merlin cursed in three different languages, and then answered it. "This had better be good," he said, using his favorite annoyed sing-song tone to indicate his irritation.

_"Merlin," _Arthur's voice replied, _"you need to come up to my office."_

"I'm right in the middle of this cataloguing. Can't it wait?"

_"No, it can't. Merlin…you need to get up here now…please."_

The sorcerer frowned. Arthur didn't say 'please' unless it was very serious. "I'm on my way." He shut down his comm. and, turning to his assistants, gave them a few instructions he wanted them to follow. Then he left the Archives, taking the lift up to the top floor of the tower.

The Director's office was at the very pinnacle of Torchwood Tower, with a grand view over Gliese City, the red light of the primary coming in from the large picture window staining the wood of the desk and shelves in a cherry tone. Arthur was standing in front of his desk, leaning back onto the polished surface, when Merlin entered without knocking. His mate looked up at him as he barged in, and Merlin immediately knew something was horribly wrong.

The person in the visitor's chair didn't ease his sudden feeling of worry. "Aunt Rowena?" he blurted, heading over and taking her hand in his.

Doctor Rowena ap Llyn was Arthur's aunt, and she'd insisted that Merlin call her Aunt Rowena as well. She'd been the first of them to choose another surname, dropping the 'Harkness-Jones' until they were past their patriarch's time period. Arthur had been the second, taking up the old Pendragon family name for the time being. Anwyn, Arthur's mother, had also chosen Pendragon, but she hadn't been happy about it.

Her eyes were slightly red, as if she had been crying, but Aunt Rowena looked determined. "Merlin," she greeted him, squeezing his hand.

"Why don't you tell Merlin what you told me?" Arthur suggested, his own voice rough with unspoken emotion. Merlin got a good look at his mate, and he could see in Arthur's face that whatever she'd said had been very bad.

Rowena nodded. "As I told Arthur, someone has kidnapped Tad. He's simply vanished."

Merlin felt his hearts thump painfully in his chest, and he could understand why his normally strong aunt had been weeping. "Are you sure?"

"Yes, absolutely."

"What happened?" Arthur asked, and Merlin guessed that he hadn't gotten any sort of explanation yet, waiting for him to arrive to get the full story.

"As you both know," she began, "Tad was scheduled to give a lecture at Luna University today. I…I'd been the one to set it up for him."

Merlin nodded. Grandtad Ianto had been fairly excited about it, even though their dragon patriarch had been certain no one would show up.

"After the lecture, he suggested that we go out to eat, so we headed toward this new Chinese place in old London."

"Kung Pau Chicken?" Arthur asked, raising a single eyebrow in a gesture that was eerily like their Grandtad's.

Rowena choked out a laugh. "What else would he order?"

Merlin rolled his eyes. "He's been trying to find a decent Kung Pau for centuries."

"In fact, he'd asked me to order that for him and then he got up to go to the mens' room." Rowena glanced down at her lap. "He never came back out."

"There was no way he could have somehow snuck past you?" Arthur asked gently.

"No," she denied. "Besides, he wouldn't have left without telling me. I tried to call him on his comm. and he didn't answer. And, when I went looking for him, I found this on the floor near the sink." She shifted just enough to be able to reach into her trouser pocket, and she pulled out the miniaturized earwig transmitter that the dragon favoured.

Merlin knew then that Grandtad hadn't left that mens' room under his own volition. With Granddad Jack expecting, Ianto would never have let himself go incommunicado like that, and it was very unlike Grandtad to lose his comm. anywhere.

"I was going to go to Dad," Rowena went on, putting the communicator into Arthur's outstretched hand, "but in his condition I didn't think it would be a good idea until we knew everything we could. Besides," she sighed, "Tad told me about how paranoid he's been lately about his timeline being changed. I was afraid he'd see this as some other form of proof that he was correct."

Merlin barely suppressed the grimace that threatened to bloom across his face. Granddad Jack had been absolutely positive that, somehow, his personal timeline had changed, and that some sort of paradox was imminent. The sorcerer had searched Time for anything that might be a precursor of such a powerful paradox wave, and there had been nothing. Yes, he saw the past much better than the future, but certainly he would have felt the gathering storm of a temporal paradox. He'd meant to ask his father about it the next time he saw him, but the Doctor hadn't shown his face in centuries. Merlin thought he was avoiding the time zone because his mother was so prevalent in it, and not in a form anyone could interact with.

There had been a pretty nasty row over it, and Merlin was ashamed to admit that he'd avoided Granddad Jack ever since. He really hated arguing with anyone…unless it was Arthur, and then their fights more often than not led to vigorous sex.

"I can promise you," Merlin said, "that there's nothing that says there's something wrong with Granddad's timeline. I've checked."

"That's what Tad said. He also said that Dad is convinced that there is because he didn't believe in magic for so long, and he would have done if there'd been magic in his time…"

"I don't know why that's so," Arthur answered. "But we can't just assume that Grandtad's kidnapping was a part of some plot to change time."

"We're going to find him, Aunt Rowena," Merlin vowed. "We'll find out who took him and make certain we get him back."

No one could kidnap a member of his family and get away with it.

* * *

**_Old London, Earth_**

The restaurant where Grandtad Ianto had vanished had been closed by the local law enforcement, after the owner had contacted them about someone being kidnapped from her establishment. Rowena had said she'd argued against it, but they'd been summoned anyway despite her not wanting to bring attention to just who her dinner partner had been.

It had taken Arthur two words, "Torchwood business," to have the investigation turned over to the pair of them. They'd snagged two of their Knights on the way out, and both Leon and Percival had been more than willing to help out once they'd been told what was going on.

After Arthur had been reincarnated – for the first and last time – there'd suddenly been a spurt of Knights being reborn as well. They hadn't all come at once; first had been Lancelot, who'd shown up at Torchwood Tower asking very politely to speak to King Arthur. He'd brought Guinevere with him, who had taken up the job of being Arthur's personal assistant, and who had become the actual power behind the throne, as it were. What Gwen didn't know about Torchwood operations simply wasn't worth knowing.

After that, the Knights they'd known back in Camelot had started trickling in. Gwaine had been the last, and the surprise of his appearance had been that he'd shown up with Arthur's mother, Anwyn, on his arm. Barely a year later they'd declared themselves mates, although there hadn't been a true mating ceremony as yet. Anwyn, however, had suddenly gained her dragon form, much to her delight, and the only explanation had been a rather cryptic one from the Earth Dragon about finding her heart's true desire. Merlin, though, had realised what he'd meant, since Arthur had gained his own dragon form when he and Merlin had declared their own mating.

Merlin had been glad to see their old friends once more, but he always hated looking forward to the time when they'd pass, and leave himself and Arthur behind. Certainly they inevitably came back and remembered their previous lives, but it was still a wrench to say goodbye. There was also that niggling doubt that they'd return, and the sorcerer hated that doubt. It would never go away.

The Doctor had been concerned about the Knights and the constant cycle of rebirths, but in the end he'd had to shrug and put it all down to magic and the pull of destiny. Merlin wasn't certain he liked that answer, but there wasn't anything he could do about it. Plus he enjoyed having his friends back, even though he knew he'd lose them at some point they would come back.

He and Arthur entered the restaurant together, while Leon and Percival took up positions just inside the door. It all looked very official with Arthur in his red tunic, the golden dragon and honeycomb 'T' glittering on the breast, his sword Excalibur on one hip and his sonic blaster on the other. Merlin had gone completely casual, simply because he didn't really have a uniform per se, and he didn't really want one. His Grandtad Ianto had worn a suit for millennia, after all. Merlin thought his long leather coat – thank you, Granddad Jack! – was enough of a statement on its own.

The owner, a small Chinese woman who looked like she either wanted to scream at them or weep shamelessly, met them halfway toward the mens' room. She was flapping her hands as she approached. "I told the police that we don't know anything about that poor Professor," she spoke even before either Arthur or Merlin could say anything. "We don't have any sort of cameras in the mens' room so there's nothing we can do to help!" Then she seemed to notice the design on Arthur's tunic, because she blanched. "Torchwood? What does Torchwood have to do with what happened?"

Arthur put on his blandest smile even as Merlin tried to stifle a laugh. It didn't feel right finding the woman's panic funny, but at the same time he just couldn't help it. "That's Torchwood's business, I'm afraid. If you could give us access to the scene please?"

_Well, at least he said 'please'_, Merlin commented to himself.

The restaurant owner nodded vigorously. "Go, and hurry up! I have a business to run!" Then she seemed to realise how that sounded, and she blushed. "Not that I don't want to cooperate to find that poor man –"

"We understand." Arthur took the smaller woman by both shoulders and gently moved her out of the way. "The sooner we can get our investigations done the sooner you can reopen. Now, if you would wait over by my men…?"

She bobbed her head so fast Merlin was surprised she didn't give herself a soft tissue injury then did as Arthur bade. Leon gave her a smile he had to have practiced by watching Arthur so many times, it was just that bland.

Arthur headed toward the mens' room, Merlin on his heels. The room beyond the door was the basic type of facilities: a single stall, two urinals, and two sinks against the side wall. There was no window or anything that someone could have used to get the drop on Grandtad Ianto, and Merlin worried his lip as his mind went directly to personal teleport…

But wait.

He frowned as his time sense began itching, and he cast around the small room, trying to find the source. Arthur must have noticed his distraction because his mate called out his name, but Merlin simply held up a hand while he attempted to discover just what he was feeling.

Arthur called his name again, this time sounding concerned. Merlin looked up at him, worrying his lip even harder than before. "I'm sensing something," he explained. "I think…I'm pretty sure someone used a Vortex Manipulator in here."

His mate frowned. "That would mean a Time Agent took Grandtad."

There were different types of Manipulator. Only the Time Agency used the ones that could travel through the Vortex and back in time; the others were simple teleporters. If Merlin was indeed sensing a time-programmed Manipulator…but why would a Time Agent want to kidnap a Professor of History? Because Merlin was certain that they would have left Grandtad alone if they'd known his real identity.

"Can you look back enough to see who might have done it?" Arthur asked, his face grim.

"Should do, yes." Merlin had been making noises about shutting down the Agency for a while now; with his special time sense, he knew just how dangerous it was to have a group with so much control over time. And now, they'd apparently grabbed his Grandtad for some reason they didn't know as yet.

"Then what are you waiting for?" Arthur sounded impatient, and Merlin knew it wasn't directed at him.

Merlin waved Arthur back toward the corner of the room then, once his mate was out of the way, the sorcerer fully opened his time sense.

Surfing the timelines sounded like it should have been a simple process for one who was a part of Time itself, but it really wasn't. Pinning down the specific events one was looking for wasn't even the hardest part; for Merlin that was keeping himself from getting lost in the immensity of the Time Vortex, to concentrate on the one thing he needed the most to see.

It helped that it hadn't been long since Grandtad Ianto had been taken. Aunt Rowena had been able to pull rank at Torchwood Central, and had managed to get a priority transmat to Hubworld almost immediately. That meant it had been mere hours since he'd been kidnapped, and Merlin didn't have to sort through too much to find what he was looking for.

When he managed to see what exactly had occurred in that room, Merlin knew they were in trouble.

He came out of his trance with a lurch that would have sent him to the tiles if not for Arthur's strong hand on his elbow. "Merlin?" His voice was full of concern.

Merlin swallowed hard. "We need to go and speak to Granddad."


	20. The Legacy - Chapter Three

The Legacy - Chapter Three

Author: Milady Dragon

Disclaimer: Nope, sorry...I don't own this

Author's Note: Here we go! Hope you like this chapter. :)

* * *

**_Unknown Time and Unknown Place_**

Ianto opened his eyes, and for a moment thought that he was somewhere completely dark…until he realised that there was something covering his head and obscuring his vision.

His head was throbbing quite spectacularly, and it took all he had not to groan with the pain. The last thing he could recall was washing his hands in the lavatory of the Chinese restaurant he and Rowena had gone to…something had been pressed against his neck and then, nothing. He must have been drugged some way was the only answer he could come up with.

He appeared to have been bound to a chair, and he could just feel the metal of the cuffs that were keeping his hands behind him. He thought they might be durasteel, which meant changing shape would most likely cut his hands off instead of forcing the handcuffs to expand. He jiggled them just in case, testing to see how tight they were.

"You're awake a lot sooner than you should be," a voice said, sounding vaguely amused. "That and the other physiological differences I managed to detect makes me guess you have some sort of high-gravity race in your family tree somewhere."

Ianto sagged in relief, recognising the voice instantly. He was about to yell at his captor that he wasn't in the mood for any role-playing, but he sensed something wrong almost immediately and stiffened once more. "What's going on?" he asked suspiciously, not trusting himself to say anything else.

Whatever it was that had covered his head was removed, and Ianto found himself blinking in the sudden brightness of the overheard lighting. Once he could see again the dragon could make out his surroundings; he was in what looked like a cheap hotel room, with a double bed covered with a threadbare duvet and scarred fake wood furniture. A near-subsonic rumble made him think he must have been near a spaceport somewhere.

But it was captor that drew his immediate attention.

It was Jack.

Only it wasn't.

Of course Ianto had known his mate's voice, but the man leaning insouciantly against one of the walls was vaguely different. One, he looked about a decade younger than his Jack did, and was dressed in leather trousers and waistcoat, with a white, short-sleeved shirt underneath. He was wearing the ever present wrist strap, but it was also different…it looked newer, less well-used than what Ianto was used to. His hair was in as close to a military cut as Ianto had ever seen, and his eyes didn't carry the weight of all the experiences that had coloured his long life.

The fact that this version of his mate wasn't pregnant was also a big tip-off that something was wrong.

But, the most telling thing was the fact that Ianto wasn't sensing the tell-tale scratch deep in his hindbrain of the Time Vortex that was the sure sign that his mate was close by. It was completely missing.

This wasn't his Jack.

This was a much younger version of his mate, obviously the one before he'd met the Doctor and had become immortal. This was the Time Agent Jack, if he wasn't mistaken.

That, more than anything, scared Ianto. He'd been a complete stranger to Jack when they'd met all those centuries ago, of that he was certain. And yet, there was the younger version of Jack, looking at him with a combination of interest and playful flirtiness and something the dragon could not identify.

It made him think of his mate's insistence that his timeline had somehow changed. Ianto was now beginning to wonder if Jack had been right.

"Ifan Jones," the younger man said, levering himself off the wall and putting his hands in his pockets, "Professor of Earth Medieval History, guest lecturer who had fallen off the radar for the last year and half until just recently, when he gave a lecture on Dragon History at Luna University. Born on Earth, parents deceased, married to retired Captain-Owner Jack Jones. You have an extremely private life, Professor Jones." He pouted, as if upset that he hadn't figured out anything else.

Ianto listened as his captor reeled out the false identity that he'd been operating under in order to get the education he had. "You seem to have me at a disadvantage," the dragon replied, one eyebrow cocking upward. He needed to get more information, in order to find out where and when he was, and just how far back into Jack's timeline this version went. "You know about me, but I don't know anything about you."

Younger Jack leered. "I like it that way. It makes me more…mysterious."

It was all Ianto could do to keep himself from sighing. "If this is a kidnapping, I'm quite certain my m – husband will be glad to pay whatever you ask to get me back." He had to assume this Jack didn't know his true nature, if his guessing about his family was correct, and he didn't want to give away that he was in any way related to the Star Dragons. It would just make things more complicated, and besides Ianto was intending to escape at his first opportunity. Letting his kidnapper – even a much younger version of his mate – know that particular secret would only make him more wary. Saying he had a mate instead of a husband would be just the giveaway he didn't need to make.

Apparently this Jack didn't catch his near slip-up. "I'm not actually asking for a ransom," he answered lightly. "I'm hoping you could help me."

Ianto frowned. "Help you? You didn't need to grab me out of the loo for that. All you had to do was ask." Not that he would have agreed; this was hitting too close to home for him, and he was truly afraid that the timeline could be irreparably damaged if he did the wrong thing.

"I couldn't take that risk. This is far too important for me to take no for an answer." It was; Ianto could tell by the sudden serious expression that wiped away the leer. However, it was back in a flash. "Although, I'm not adverse to mixing business with pleasure…"

"You did catch the part where I had a husband, right?" There was no way he was going to touch Jack's younger self, and in fact Ianto felt just a tad creeped out by the idea.

The pout he received was just the same as the one he got when his mate had been somehow thwarted. "Can't blame a guy for trying."

Ianto had been a resident of the free-wheeling future long enough to know that wouldn't be the end of the flirting, and he was prepared for it. His mate had taught him a great deal about the future even before they'd actually arrived in it, and while Ianto understood many of the sexual norms that took place he did know that, even though a lot of fun was to be had by all, the marital bond was still very highly respected. There would be flirting yes…but this version of Jack wouldn't cross that line.

"All right," Ianto said, "just what do you need my help with?" He needed to get this back on track. The sooner he discovered what was going on, the better he would feel. "And you know my name…what do I call you?"

"You can call me Jamison if you want," the younger human shrugged.

Ianto nodded. It was close to Jack's real name without giving anything away. "And I would prefer it if you called me Professor Jones." He smiled thinly. "If this is supposed to be some sort of business transaction."

Jamison's smile went vaguely shark-like. "Fine by me, Professor."

"I also want an assurance that the person I was eating lunch with, Dr. ap Llyn, will be left alone. I do apologise, but it's difficult to trust someone who drugs people up in mens' rooms and teleports them off to who knows where." He could tell that Rowena wasn't anywhere close, in the same way he knew this wasn't his mate, by the lack of the vortex energy that had infused Jack's very being when he became immortal.

"I don't have any reason to do anything to your companion," Jamison answered. It was a lot easier for Ianto to deal with the man now that he had a name to refer to him by. It was still difficult to know that this was his Jack without the immortality and betrayal and all the terrible losses he'd suffered, and a very tiny part of him wished he could somehow warn him…

No, he couldn't. Ianto wasn't Merlin or the Doctor, but even he knew that would be catastrophic. Besides, his Jack had gone through all of that to bring him to Ianto, and the dragon wouldn't give up his mate for anything in the universe.

"As for what I need you to do," he went on, "I just need you to authenticate something for me. That's all."

Ianto regarded him closely. As far as he could tell Jamison was telling the truth, but then Jack had told him all about being a very good conman in his younger days. It could be that Jamison was playing him in some way, but the dragon knew it would be best to play along. "Why me?" he did ask. "Any historian could authenticate an artefact for you."

"Not this one." Jamison pulled what had to be the key to the handcuffs from his waistcoat pocket. "It's going to take a very specialised sort of expert for it." He walked around to the back of the chair, and Ianto felt him unlock the cuffs…but not before stroking the inside of Ianto's wrist in a pretty suggestive way.

"Let's keep to the business at hand," he answered, bringing his arms – sore from being restrained behind his back – around to the front and rubbing his wrists where the handcuffs had chafed.

Jamison chuckled throatily. "You don't know what you're missing," he purred.

The problem was, Ianto knew _exactly_ what he was missing.

He stood, as his kidnapper came around in front once more. Ianto had to admit that, despite the circumstances he found himself in, he was very intrigued by what Jamison had, and why he thought that only himself could authenticate it. The younger man motioned behind Ianto, and he turned, immediately spying the black, reinforced metal case that was sitting on the rickety-looking table under the curtained window.

It was about half a meter high, and about half that again in width. It was sealed with an electronic device that flashed ominously at him as Ianto approached. His curiosity was getting the better of him, he could admit that to himself, and he had a near-overwhelming desire to see what was so important that he'd been kidnapped for.

There was a beep, and the device – obviously a lock, most likely deadlock-sealing the case – stopped flashing. Ianto looked back over his shoulder in time to catch Jamison flipping his Vortex Manipulator closed. He raised an eyebrow, asking silent permission, and the Time Agent nodded once.

The dragon stepped forward, setting his hands on the top of the case on either side of the lock. He pulled the hinged lid open, revealing a formed, oval-shaped crevasse within.

What was nestled inside that hole punched the air out of Ianto's lungs, and it took all he had not to react on the outside, to not tip off Jamison that he knew exactly what this was.

"Where did you get this?" he asked, and he was slightly irritated with himself by the awe in his voice. He reached one hand toward the object, needing to _touch_ the impossibility that lay within the case.

"Aren't you supposed to wear some sort of gloves when you handle artefacts?" Jamison asked, and by his tone Ianto knew he'd noticed his slip.

"Do you have any?" he asked sharply, pulling his hand back slightly and not daring to glance in the man's direction, not wanting to give anything else away.

"No."

"And you interrupted a meal with a colleague, so I wasn't prepared." Besides, he'd need to lay hands on it to tell if it was viable, still alive. "You didn't answer my question…where did you get this?"

"Does it matter?" Jamison asked blithely.

Ianto barely restrained the growl that wanted to escape. Instead, he used both hands, and slipping them around the bulk of the object he lifted it from its cocoon. He couldn't help the gasp this time, as he sensed the life within, just waiting to be called forth.

"I take it that this really is a dragon's egg?" Jamison demanded, losing all playfulness.

Ianto wanted to deny it. He wanted to transform and escape and take this precious thing with him back home.

He couldn't do either. There was too much at stake, especially if there were more where this came from.

"There's no such thing as a dragon's egg," he whispered.

"Then what the hell is that?" His captor sounded angry, and Ianto didn't want that.

"A majority of legends assume that dragons are lizards, and thus lay eggs," he explained, tilting the egg in order to see if it had been damaged in any way. "That's not true at all; in fact, dragons are something altogether different, not lizard or dinosaur or mammal. But they birth their young live, so there aren't any eggs involved." He sighed in relief at the sign that the shell was intact.

"Then why are you so interested in it?"

"Because," Ianto answered, "there are certain magicks that can be used to protect an infant dragon in case of extreme danger. One of those means putting the baby into a form of suspension within a shell that is near-impossible to break. The child can remain viable for over a thousand years that way." He recalled the day that Merlin had asked about it, when his grandson has told him the story of finding Aithusa and how Kilgharrah had claimed that the shell around the sleeping baby had been an egg. Understandably Merlin had been confused when Ianto had given birth to a live and wriggling infant…with a little help from a caesarian section, of course.

"In the final days, when dragons were being exterminated by humans," he went on, "I would have expected there to be more and more eggs found. But there weren't, which means to me that either the humans took and hid them when they found them since they wouldn't have been able to destroy them, or the dragons didn't have the time or inclination to hide their children. It was genocide, pure and simple." Even after all these millennia, Ianto mourned his lost kin.

"So you're saying there could be a baby dragon in there?" Jamison asked, sounding excited about the prospect.

"I…don't know." There was; Ianto could sense the life within the shell, but he didn't want to give too much away to this younger version of his mate. "It's been so long since the dragons were killed…surely any baby wouldn't have survived so long." It was a puzzle, that this child had been preserved for all those years. But it was, and Ianto felt the overwhelming need to get it away from Jamison.

He could trust Jack, but his mate had told him stories of how he'd been when he'd been younger. The dragon just couldn't take the risk.

"What if I told you that it really hadn't been all that long?" Jamison asked shrewdly.

"You went back in the past to get this?" It shouldn't have surprised Ianto one bit that this was what had occurred, and yet it did. "How did you know where to look?" He'd searched; oh, how he'd searched, and he'd never found any sign at all. How had this Time Agent found something he hadn't been able to?

"It took me two years of searching for any sort of sign," Jamison admitted, "but I finally found some cryptic notes among the papers of a 27th Century archaeologist, Bernice Summerfield, about an excavation in what had been the Bavarian Alps that had found what she'd claimed was a dragon's nest. It took some extrapolation on my part, but I was finally able to trace the site and go back to when the nest was actually being used. I found that," he indicated the egg, "and brought it back to it could be authenticated. When I heard of your lecture I knew you were the one who could do it."

Ianto looked at him sharply. "And why were you searching for dragons' eggs?" Something was making him suspicious of the entire story. Why indeed would someone go back in time, risk a paradox, all to locate a mythical dragon egg?

Jamison shrugged. "Does it matter?"

"I suppose that means you were either paid or assigned to?" the dragon guessed.

The man's poker face was good, he gave nothing away. "As I said…does it matter? Especially if the baby inside that isn't alive anymore?"

He had a point, but Ianto wasn't about to let it lie like that. "Whatever you're being paid, I'll double it."

Jamison's eyebrows went up, and a calculating look crossed his face that Ianto felt simply didn't belong there. He once again had to remind himself that this man was not his mate and couldn't be expected to react the same way. "You want it that badly, even if it doesn't mean anything?"

Ianto shrugged. "I'm an expert in dragons. After all, that's why you kidnapped me." He had to protect this egg, to get it back to Ddraig Llyn where Merlin could break the spell holding the child in its magical slumber. He couldn't let it get into unscrupulous hands, even if getting past the protective shell would be nearly impossible. He couldn't risk it. "What expert wouldn't want to have a so-called dragon's egg in their collection, even if it would never hatch?"

He could tell that Jamison was accepting what he was saying, but at the same time there still was that expression that practically screamed 'greed!' at Ianto. "Let's say I agree to sell you the egg. I'd be asking ten thousand for it. I'm not so sure you can afford that on a Professor's salary."

That was simply a dip in the bucket of Ianto's hoard; he hadn't had to touch it since he'd purchased Ddraig Llyn back in the late 21st Century, except for bits here and there. "Would you want payment in credits, gold, or gemstones?"

That hadn't been the answer that Jamison had been expecting, judging from the widening of his eyes in surprise. "And just where would you get that much in anything?"

Ianto smirked. "Does it matter?"

Jamison chuckled. "Touché. I'd want payment up front before I let you go anywhere with that."

"I think that can be arranged." Ianto's heart was racing, and to his credit his hands were steady as they replaced the egg back into the case. "I can have the money for you no later than this evening, in whatever denomination you decide."

"Well," the younger man said, practically getting up into Ianto's personal space, "it's been a pleasure doing business with you." He flipped open his wrist strap once the case was closed, resetting the deadlock. "How about we celebrate with a little bit of pleasure now?"

"I don't think so." It took every bit of willpower the dragon had not to step away. He met those familiar – and yet not – blue eyes squarely. "And what is your employer going to say about you selling the egg out from under him?"

"Oh, didn't I say?" Jamison looked so innocent that butter wouldn't have melted in his mouth. "That wasn't the only egg in the nest I found."


	21. The Legacy - Chapter Four

The Legacy - Chapter Four

Author: Milad Dragon

Disclaimer: I don't own anything here, sorry

Author's note: Here we go! Next chapter. Thanks to everyone for reading this, you guys rock!

* * *

**_15 November 5101 (Earth Standard Date)_**

**_Ddraig Llyn, Earth_**

The slight disorientation from the transmat wore off quickly, and Merlin followed Arthur out of the cubby where they had appeared and into the main room of the Harkness-Jones home in the valley of Ddraig Llyn.

The house had been home for Merlin while he'd been growing up, even more so than the small house his Dad and Mum had taken to raise him in until he was old enough to go travelling. This huge place was where he'd spent some of the happiest times of his life…and some of the not-so happiest, and Merlin could feel the history within its thick stone walls every time he came back. The history went back to far beyond the re-building of the former Green Dragon Inn, all the way back to the formation of the valley by ancient glaciers that had carved their way through the mountains surrounding Ddraig Llyn, and even beyond, and to Merlin it felt as if he was being wrapped up within a warm cloak of Time, comforting and familiar.

If the history surrounding the Harkness-Jones residence was a calm cloak, then the patriarch of their clan, Jack Harkness, was the solid foundation which Merlin relied on to keep his feet amidst the eddies and flows of time. His Dad has once asked him what he saw when he looked at his Granddad Jack, and Merlin had said it was as if looking at a strong boulder in the midst of a river, with Time parting on either side of him, and Jack weathering the pounding of the current as if he was part of the very bedrock of existence. It wasn't until later that Merlin had truly understood his Dad's reasoning behind the question, and the new perspective he'd given his Time Lord father with just that single observation.

It was strange though that his father had never asked him how he saw his Grandtad.

If Granddad Jack was an unbreakable rock, then Grandtad Ianto was the mighty oak that had grown up around it, thick roots entwining around it and sinking deep into the river itself in order to try to protect him from anything that might hurt his mate. Grandtad was also the force that kept their family together, the base of the tree on which they all rested and branched out from, to follow their own destinies and yet still be protected within its sheltering limbs. If either the stone or the tree were removed, then the entire structure would collapse, and Merlin knew that would be the end of his family for all time.

He would fight to his last breath to keep that from happening.

Their Granddad Jack stood from where he'd been sitting on the large sofa that dominated the front room, a hand on his slightly distended stomach. At six months along he should have looked comfortably settled into this latest pregnancy.

Only he wasn't.

The closer Jack got to his own home time, the more convinced he'd become that something was wrong with his personal timeline. There were important things he simply could not remember having happened when he'd been active in this time, and despite Grandtad Ianto's reassurances and Merlin's conviction that nothing had changed, his Granddad had become increasingly agitated. Certainly Merlin could understand why; after all, if things did change then Jack would lose everything he'd gained over his immortal lifetime. And, if Merlin was willing to fight for his family, he could imagine what Granddad Jack would be willing to do to protect them all.

Rowena was also there, and Merlin was certain she had already filled him in on what had occurred with Ianto judging by the anger and fear in his Granddad's eyes and despite her saying she hadn't wanted to do anything until they knew more. "Have you found out anything?"

Yes, she certainly had, and Merlin was grateful to her for it.

"That's why we're here," Arthur answered. "We went by the restaurant and Merlin did a quick scan of the timeline."

Jack turned to stare at Merlin, and it was all he could do not to flinch under that furious gaze even though it wasn't him that Granddad was angry with. "What did you see?" he demanded.

"Dad," Rowena cut in, "you need to relax. It's not good for the baby –"

"I'll relax when Ianto is back home," he snapped.

"Grandfather, sit down…please," Arthur said, using what Merlin called His Royal Highness voice; it's the one he used when he wanted to send whatever minions who were in the area to do his bidding. It didn't usually work on Jack, but this time it seemed to, if the older man suddenly slumping down onto the sofa was any indication.

"Sorry," Jack sighed. He began rubbing his stomach fretfully. "It's just…" He waved a hand toward Merlin. "What did you see?"

"I saw Grandtad Ianto," Merlin answered, "he was taken from behind and knocked unconscious by what looked like an injector gun."

"But I didn't see anyone go into the mens' room after him," Rowena protested.

"No, that's because they used a Vortex Manipulator to get in."

Jack's face went blank. "It was a Time Agent?"

"But the Time Agency doesn't go against Torchwood," Rowena argued.

"Aunt Rowena," Arthur said gently, "Grandtad wasn't travelling as Ianto Jones, the Dragon of Torchwood. He was Ifan Jones, Professor of Medieval History and lecturer. We're sure the agent didn't have a clue as to whom he was kidnapping."

Jack was regarding them both closely. "Why haven't you gone to the Time Agency and demanded to know where he is then? Or at least the agent's current designation?"

"That's our next step," Arthur assured him. "But we needed to come here first, because there's something about this agent you need to know."

Granddad Jack stiffened. "You think I know him." It wasn't a question.

"Actually," Merlin replied, "we know you know him." He said a quick prayer to the Great Dragons that Jack would take the news halfway well. "It was you, Granddad. You were the Time Agent that kidnapped Grandtad."

Jack went horribly pale, and Merlin swore he stopped breathing. "That's not possible," he whispered.

"I'm sorry, but I know what I saw, and it was you." He really hated being the bearer of news like this, especially with Granddad Jack being in such a state over his timeline. This could very well send him over the edge.

And it did.

"I told you," Jack growled, his face going from white to red in no time flat. "I told you something was wrong with my personal timeline! Now we have proof, because I'm quite sure I would remember kidnapping my own mate!"

"But you don't," Arthur said, his voice pitched now into a tone that he'd often used to talk down desperate criminals. "There has to be a reason for that, Grandfather…one that you haven't considered yet."

"I promise you," Merlin was practically pleading, "there's absolutely nothing wrong with your timeline. I would know definitely if there were." He took great pride in his abilities, and it hurt every time Jack intimated that he didn't know what he was doing. Yes, he knew Granddad didn't mean anything really by it, but it still bothered him. "Or better yet…Dad would be here himself, demanding to know what was going on." Which was very true. He'd seen his Dad go all Oncoming Storm for fewer reasons than a ganked-up timeline. And one having to do with Jack Harkness…well, Merlin didn't want to see his Dad react to _that_.

Jack chewed his lip, looking thoughtful. "All right, I didn't consider the Doctor. But then how do we explain…" His voice faded out, and a dawning look of comprehension lit his face. "Of course! I don't know why I didn't think of it before..." He shook his head. "But that still doesn't explain why I don't recall anything about magic or the Star Dragons…"

"What?" Merlin asked impatiently. He felt the sudden urge to dance on the balls of his feet but refrained.

"When I was with the Time Agency," Jack began, "something happened and I had two years of my memory wiped out. It was the reason I finally went rogue and ended up meeting the Doctor. But as I said it doesn't explain other things missing from my memory."

Merlin couldn't help but get furious about the news. He'd always thought the Time Agency acted in a high-handed manner, and here was proof. He was convinced it was only the fact that Torchwood needed to exist that the Agency had not already attempted to change time in order to cut Torchwood out of the big picture. But that didn't stop them from interfering in ways that could be detrimental, and in fact his Dad had had to fix a couple of things they'd messed up. The Time Agency might have begun as a good thing, but it had become corrupt over the hundreds of years it had been around.

It was time to shut it down, Merlin thought, especially after what they must have done to his Granddad.

Arthur was nibbling his thumbnail in thought. "I believe we can assume the reason you don't remember kidnapping Grandtad was that it occurred doing those two years you had removed."

"But as I said, it doesn't explain why I came out of it not believing in magic or dragons."

"Maybe they mucked about more than you knew," Rowena said. Her eyes had gone into their dragon aspect out of sheer rage. "They could have damaged you beyond repair, Dad."

Jack reached up and took her hand, tugging her down onto the sofa next to him. "But they didn't," he soothed her. He then looked up at Merlin. "I'm sorry, I've blamed you and it wasn't anything you did –"

He was glad to hear the apology, but Merlin shrugged it away. "You've been under a lot of stress, Granddad. It's fine."

"Will you let me admit my mistake and get it over with?" Jack rolled his eyes good-naturedly.

Merlin grinned. "Sure, Granddad."

"Thank you." Jack went back to being serious. "So…Time Agency?"

Arthur nodded. "We need to know what your younger self wanted Grandtad for."

Rowena looked at each of them in turn. "Do we call it a coincidence that they went took Tad after his lecture on dragons?"

"Actually, I think that's something we can't rule out," Arthur answered. "It's time Merlin and I paid a visit to the Agency's director."

"Yeah, Arthur hasn't rattled his chain in ages," Merlin smirked.

Arthur shrugged. "What can I say? I have to have my entertainment some way, and Merlin is just too boring."

"You didn't say that last night!"

"Boys," Jack cut in, shaking his head. "You're about as bad as me and your Grandtad."

Rowena groaned and hid her face in her hands. "Don't you two have work to do?"

"Yes, Aunt Rowena," Merlin answered. He had to admit, he was looking forward to this.

Confronting the Time Agency was way overdue.

* * *

**_New New York, Earth_**

One of the many things Merlin loved watching his mate do was taking down petty bureaucrats by at least a peg or two.

Juno Bayl was a handsome man, who'd come up through the ranks of the Time Agency by dint of hard work and not a little graft, and Torchwood had had to deal with him several times in the past. Merlin flat out didn't like him, and had done almost from the moment he'd met the man. In fact, he reminded him very much of Uther Pendragon – not that he'd ever say that to Arthur – except that, at least, Uther had cared about his people, albeit in an overbearing, despotic way. Bayl didn't much care about anyone, but he had that ruthlessness that had made Uther a much-feared King.

Arthur had decided on a direct approach, which meant he and Merlin barged into the man's office, overrunning a protesting personal assistant and at least four security guards that hadn't stood a chance against Merlin's magic and some judicious wielding of Excalibur. Yes, a sword was extremely old-fashioned, but sometimes the ancient ways were best.

Arthur had also brought a contingent of Knights with them, and they were impressive in their own right in their red tunics and overabundance of weaponry. Merlin couldn't help but be in awe of them, and grateful that the time had passed where he wasn't used as a practice dummy anymore. Thank the Gods and Goddesses and Dragons those days were long gone, because when he thought back on it, it was a sheer miracle that he hadn't used magic on them during those sessions in a simple fit of pique.

They could have used the new Vortex Manipulators that Merlin had adapted using his magic, but Arthur had vetoed the idea, wanting to make a suitably noticeable entrance. Merlin knew that his mate had a purpose in mind in doing it this way: to seed as much intimidation as possible, and to give the Time Agency notice that Torchwood could go anywhere it chose. It was a continuation of Jack Harkness' tenure as Torchwood Director, one that Arthur wholeheartedly agreed with.

Merlin enjoyed the entrance in spite of himself.

Juno Bayl was awaiting them as they strode into the office as if they owned the place. Of course there had been plenty of warning of their approach, and so Bayl was standing and managing to look somewhat blasé about the whole thing.

"You could have just called for an appointment," he drawled.

Arthur approached him, stopping just in front of the monstrosity of the desk that took up most of the office and framed the picture window that looked out over the megacity beyond. "I prefer to come unannounced."

"And yet I knew you were in the building. Was it necessary to station your bodyguard on every floor?"

"My Knights are simply making certain no one tries to kick us out before we're done."

"Your Knights…of course, Your Majesty." Bayl's eyes were glittering with laughter.

Arthur smirked. "As you're well aware, I prefer Director. Although if you believe in all those stories about the Once and Future King, then of course you're welcome to call me that if you wish."

"You're the one calling himself Arthur Pendragon. Should I also mention that your Second," Bayl leered at Merlin, who felt slimy because of it, "is named Merlin?"

Merlin grinned. "I can't help what my parents named me." He didn't think it would go over well if he told the truth and said that he'd chosen the name for himself on his second birthday, as he'd begun to digest the returning memories of his previous lives.

Not many knew that Arthur Harkness-Jones was really the reincarnation of Arthur Pendragon, and as such could claim the name. When he and Merlin had decided to take over Torchwood, they'd discussed it and Arthur, while very proud of his current family, had felt that with such a position of Director being well-known, that it would be for the best that he set aside the name he'd been born with in this lifetime and take up the ancient one he'd died with. They'd both knew there would come a time when Arthur's birth name would have to be hidden, and it had made sense to step into the spotlight with a pseudonym already in place. Of course, it had caused all sorts of problems with the then-Emperor of the Human Empire thinking that the Once and Future King would be after his throne, but Arthur had only wanted Torchwood. He'd done much more good being the Director than he would have as Emperor.

"This isn't relevant," Arthur replied, the smirk vanishing. "I'm here on official Torchwood business."

"And what business does Torchwood have with the Time Agency?" Bayl said, equally coolly.

"We want to know the current whereabouts of Agent Boe."

There was a strange flicker in Bayl's eyes, but he covered it well. "And why do you want to know that?"

Arthur stood even straighter, going for what Merlin called the Royal Looming Posture. "Because he's kidnapped Ifan Jones, who happens to be a Professor of Earth History lecturing at Luna University."

"How do you know that?" Now Bayl's eyes went speculative, and Merlin got the feeling that they'd just handed the man a piece of a puzzle that neither he nor Arthur could see.

Merlin simply waggled his fingers in Bayl's direction. "Magic."

"I see." Bayl leaned back in his chair, not appearing at all intimidated by Arthur at all. "As of this moment, I have no idea where Agent Boe is. He's been on long-term assignment." He snorted. "I don't see how the kidnapping of some professor has anything to do with Torchwood."

"I thought you might say that." Arthur smiled like some sort of overly toothy predator. "Then perhaps you aren't aware that Professor Ifan Jones was simply an alias for Ianto Jones, the Dragon of Torchwood?"

Bayl went as white as a sheet at that proclamation. "You're lying."

"You just wish I were, because it would save you a load of trouble in the long run if I was."

Of course the Time Agency was aware of Jack Harkness and Ianto Jones, and had made it a mandate of the Agency not to interfere with them in any way, especially in the past. Torchwood was completely off-limits to any sort of tampering, out of fear of screwing up time. They had no idea that Jack Harkness was their Agent Boe, however, and the entire family wanted it kept that way.

"Now," Arthur went on, "you're very aware of just how dangerous it is to mess with Torchwood, so I can only assume this has been a terrible mistake. So, the sooner you tell us where your agent is and what his assignment is, the sooner we get Second Jones back, safe and sound."

Oh, Merlin loved watching Arthur at work. It really was a thing of beauty.

But it was time for him to step in. "And, if you decide you don't want to cooperate, I'm quite certain the Imperial Council will be more than happy to hear about this incident." Merlin didn't add that he was going to use it as evidence anyway, since the Emperor took a dim view of anyone kidnapping a citizen, especially one as prestigious as his Grandtad Ianto.

Bayl glanced from Arthur to Merlin, and then back. He had to know he had backed himself into a corner, and Merlin was hoping that the man would see sense and tell them just what Granddad Jack's earlier self was up to.

The silence stretched on, and just when Merlin was starting to get a bit antsy just standing there, Bayl finally spoke.

"All right," he sighed, "I see I don't have a choice."

"Not really, no," Arthur responded.

Bayl licked his lips nervously. "I tasked Agent Boe to look for a lever against Torchwood and all the power that you've gained, what with magic and the Star Dragons."

Merlin frowned. They really should have been expecting this, for Bayl to make some sort of move against them. It had been obvious that he'd chafed under Torchwood's oversight for a long time.

"And just what sort of leverage did you think he would find?" Arthur asked, his voice in that deadly-soft tone that always sent a shiver down Merlin's spine and made him want to bend his mate over the nearest flat surface.

"Dragon eggs," Bayl answered. "I sent him to try to find a source of dragon eggs."


End file.
